Crossing Boarders
by CharlotteBlackwood
Summary: The Enterprise was a surprise reassignment, one that would define Vivian's career in ways she could scarcely imagine. But it would define her life in even more unimaginable ways. genderswap!Kirk, Spock/OC, first in a series.
1. Enterprise

**A/N: Welcome to my very first (and probably last) **_**Star Trek TOS**_** fan fiction. Just to orient you, this is genderswap!Kirk, with Nichelle Nichols as Jamara T. Kirk, combining Uhura and Kirk into a single character. Spock/OC. There will be a sequel to this over in **_**Star Trek TNG**_**, and possibly some on **_**Deep Space 9**_**. If you enjoy and want to continue to follow the saga, I hope you check those out when they're posted. Spock will pop into both of those. I'll put updates on here when those are put up.**

** -C**

The lighting was brighter than usual, but Counselor Vivian Buckingham liked to adjust the light up to wake herself up after a long day of seeing patients. She'd spent her entire career on the USS Excalibur, and Captain Harris had made her First Officer not even a full year ago, making her already heavy workload even heavier. She didn't complain because this was what she'd dedicated her life to, but she knew she wouldn't want to be a captain any time soon.

The door to her office opened and she turned to find a young, green Yeoman standing before her.

"Excuse me, Counselor," she said, smiling. "The Captain wants to see you. And I have the patient records you asked for on the newly assigned."

The girl held out a box of records and Vivian thanked her, locking the records away to view later before going to meet Captain Harris in his quarters. As she walked, she adjusted her blonde hair, wondering if the tendrils had come out of place again while she was making notes.

"Vivian," he said as she entered. "Have a seat, I've got a bit of news for you."

She sat down where he motioned. He was smiling, so no one in her family was dead or ill, but she couldn't imagine what else he would call her in for like this.

"I received the new records," she said, smoothing her skirt over her thighs. "I should be able to schedule any necessary appointments in the morning."

"No, I don't think so," he said, still smiling. "You see, Starfleet Command has sent me new orders. For you, actually."

Vivian tilted her head in question. She'd served almost her entire career under Captain Harris, and she was very good at reading him, but she couldn't figure out what it was he was trying to tell her.

"What sort of orders?"

"Well, there's good news and news that's bad for me," he said with a laugh. "You're being promoted to Lieutenant Commander, so congratulations for that. I would have liked that to come through sooner, but I think they were using it to soften the blow of taking you away from me."

Vivian sat forward a bit and said, "What do you mean?"

"You're being transferred, Vivian. The Enterprise needs a new counselor and Captain Kirk has been interested lately in someone with more tactical expertise."

She licked her lips and looked down at her hands. To be on the Enterprise was an honor, but she didn't want to leave behind the ship she'd become so fond of. On the other hand, she had been looking for an opportunity to get more tactical challenges. Things had been very quiet on the missions of the Excalibur lately, and Vivian hadn't been top of her year in tactics at the Academy to simply twiddle her thumbs.

"Well," she said, smoothing her skirt again. "Well, you know how I feel about this ship, John."

"Spare me, Counselor," he said, still laughing a little. "If I never hear from your father about shore leave again it'll be too soon."

They shared a smile and a drink and then Vivian asked when she would be leaving.

"You transport in an hour when we get within range. That should give you plenty of time to get your things together. Enjoy the Enterprise, alright? And pay me a visit sometime when you've got leave."

Vivian hugged the captain and hurried to her quarters, packing her bags.

When she announced her her parents that she was going to join Starfleet, her father had been more nervous than proud. Her uncle had been a Starfleet officer whose ship was destroyed in a conflict, and Bayard Buckingham lived in constant fear that his eldest child, who took after her uncle in nearly every way, would meet the same end as his brother-in-law.

Vivian had specialized in psychiatry and psychology, particularly the psychology of interspecies interactions. She'd published several papers on the growing phenomenon of intermarrying between Federation species and the effects on the psychology of offspring. She was also an expert, as her uncle had been, in tactical operations, and had done extensive combat training that wasn't typically necessary for someone wanting to be a counselor.

Packing up her room took almost exactly fifty minutes and she made her way to the transporter room, where she and the staff waited for news from the bridge that they were within range and the Enterprise was ready to receive her.

"Ready, Counselor?" the young engineering officer said when the bridge gave them the all clear.

"Ready."

Vivian closed her eyes and opened them again in a different transporter room, looking at two strangers.

"Counselor Vivian Buckingham," said a beautiful woman with dark skin and ebony eyes, stepping forward and holding out a hand. "Captain Jamara T. Kirk. Welcome to the Enterprise. This is our Chief Medical Officer, Doctor McCoy."

Vivian shook the doctor's hand and stepped off the transporter.

"Captain Harris said you were in need of a new Counselor," she said, looking up at the bright blue eyes of the doctor, then back at the captain. "What happened to your last one?"

"She died on a mission," Captain Kirk said slowly. "Hopefully a thing we won't be repeating. Starfleet Command says you have tactical experience. I've read your record. I've made you Second Officer."

She felt a rush of relief and nodded. Someone else would have the daily effort of being the Executive Officer, and she could focus on her patients when she wasn't on bridge instead of having to think of three things at once all the time.

"That sounds perfect," she said. "Do we have time for me to take my things to my quarters?"

"I'm afraid we have to go to the bridge right away for a briefing of the senior staff, but you'll be escorted as soon as that's finished. We've received new orders from Starfleet Command and we need to review them as quickly as possible."

Vivian adjusted her pack on her shoulder and picked up her thankfully-light suitcase. She followed the predictable pathway from the transporter room to the bridge behind the captain and the doctor, and she found the rest of the senior staff waiting on the bridge for their arrival.

"Alright, everyone," Captain Kirk said, stepping back and standing next to a man who appeared to be Vulcan. "This is our new Counselor, Lieutenant Commander Vivian Buckingham. She's being put between Mr. Spock and Mr. Sulu on the chain of command. I will need to discuss some particulars with the three of you when this general meeting is over. Mr. Spock will explain our change of orders."

The Vulcan stepped forward and said, "Starfleet is sending us to Psi 2000, which is about to rip apart. We are to pick up a scientific party and taking detailed scientific information of the breakdown of the planet. A small landing party will be sent down to help the scientists with their equipment, and then we will transfer both party and equipment to the nearest Starbase once our data collection is complete."

Vivian nodded with a few others around her. The mission was fairly standard, nothing especially odd or difficult. When Captain Kirk asked if anyone had questions, no one had anything that took longer than a few yeses and nos and most of the staff were sent off to their own jobs after introducing themselves to Vivian. A lot of new names to remember, but she would do her best to learn quickly and not be the weak link in a very tight-running crew.

She turned back to Captain Kirk, who was standing between Mr. Spock and Mr. Sulu – a smiling Asian man. "Mr. Spock is our Chief Science Officer, and Mr. Sulu is our Chief Helmsman," she said, walking toward her chair. "Mr. Spock, we want a small team to go down. How many people would you suggest?"

"Two should be sufficient," he said, picking up a PADD. "Three at most. I will go down, if you agree, Captain." She nodded. "And the highest person on the duty roster from the science department is Ensign Tormolen."

"Any further suggestions, Mr. Sulu, Counselor?"

They shook their heads and the captain asked that once Vivian was settled in her quarters she return to the bridge for the duration of the mission. Vivian picked up her suitcase and Mr. Spock was assigned to show her to her quarters.

"I believe you would prefer to have more time to get settled, Counselor," he said, walking slowly to compensate for her short legs and carrying her suitcase.

"This is the nature of Starfleet, Mr. Spock," Vivian said, adjusting her hair and holding her head up high as possible, like her uncle told her as a little girl. "Constant motion and dealing with things we wouldn't prefer." She glanced up at his greenish skin and pointed ears and said, "Mr. Spock, I don't mean to be rude..."

"You are interested in my heritage." His voice was level as it had been since she first heard him speak, nothing to suggest that he was irritated or offended in any way. "I am Vulcan."

She licked her lips, taking a bit of a risk but one she hoped would be worth it.

"I am obviously not an expert on the full roster of Starfleet," she said quickly, "but from my most recent perusal of the roster, there were no full-blooded Vulcans on any starships of this classification..."

His head jerked slightly and she was worried she'd hit a sore point. She quickly began to explain that she didn't mean any offense, but that she'd gone through a lot of old records on inter-species interactions, and that she knew that most Vulcans wanted to serve on Vulcan-crewed starships, and so she assumed... She really thought he was going to think she was a terrible person, but after a long pause he said, "Yes. I am half-human."

Forgetting all thoughts of perhaps having offended him, she focused instead on her pleasure at hearing him say those words out loud. This news was like candy for Vivian, who had never met such a strange pairing before, and certainly had never expected to meet the offspring of such a pairing. From all the records she had encountered, he was the only one of his kind.

"Forgive me," she said, feeling a little breathless. "I happen to study-"

"Interspecies relationships, yes," he said, stopping in front of a room and motioning for her to go in first. "I've read your work. I recommended you to the captain, actually."

Vivian was surprised, watching him set down the suitcase on a table. She knew people were reading her work, she'd just assumed that nearly all of her readers were on the Excalibur and people she'd known at the Academy. And her father.

"Perhaps I could...ask you some questions? If you don't mind." she said, feeling incredibly overeager. Mr. Spock didn't seem offended, just hesitant.

"I am a private man, Counselor," he said slowly. "I do understand that your work is in the interest of science and that you do not use names in your articles, but I am the only half-Vulcan I know of in Starfleet at the moment."

She nodded, understanding his reticence perfectly, but he wasn't the first private man she'd tried to work with. She promised him that she would take his privacy into account, and wouldn't publish anything without full approval from him and assurance that his privacy would be protected. She began to explain to him what simply having some record for her personal files on his experiences and psychology, but it seemed to be something he had weighed already. He eventually agreed to talk with her sometime when they both had downtime about his childhood, his philosophies, and the household of a Vulcan-human marriage. With full assurance, of course, of his privacy. And how could she argue with that?

"Take some time to get settled," he told her. "You have plenty of time to unpack before you are needed on the bridge. We are traveling at warp factor two."

Vivian thanked him and waited for him to leave before she began to unpack.

Unlike her younger sister, Eva, Vivian was devoted to light packing. She carried her research records with her, a few personal items, and a sufficient number of uniforms. As a counselor, she had a bit more liberty at the discretion of the captain to wear things outside of the standard uniform, but Vivian had always found not having to decide what to wear to be a liberating prospect, and saw no reason to muddle up her life with extra choices when she already had enough to do. That, and with responsibilities on the bridge, she felt awkward and out-of-place if she wasn't wearing a uniform on the bridge.

Since she didn't have much to unpack and organize, she took a little bit of time to sit down, catch her breath, and mentally quiz herself on the crew before reporting back to the bridge. As Mr. Spock said, she had a bit of time, and the mission wasn't urgent.

/-/

Spock reentered the bridge and took his position, checking the sensors for unusual readings.

"Was the counselor satisfied with her accommodations, Mr. Spock?" Captain Kirk asked with just a hint of amusement in her voice and a slight tugging up at the corners of her lips.

"I did not detect any dissatisfaction from her, Captain," he said, looking back down at the sensors and finding everything to be where it was meant to be. "She should be here soon enough. You may ask her yourself."

"Did she ask to interview you like you expected?"

"Naturally, Jamie," Spock said, notating the readings on his PADD. "It is the only logical thing for a person of her interests and expertise to do. Has Tormolen been informed of his assignment?"

"I had Mr. Sulu contact him while you were away," she replied, standing. "And you're going to talk to her about your life, your childhood?"

Spock had expected such questions, and even the amusement with which they were asked, but he did not find the logic in amusement over the situation. Experience had told him what to expect. He looked up at Kirk and said, "Not for publication, but for her private research, at some point. I would be a poor Chief Science Officer if I neglected to do my part for the psychological sciences."

It was a good thing that Doctor McCoy was not present on the bridge at the time. He would have done much more poorly at concealing how entertaining he found the whole scenario, and certainly would have started up an argument about how the psychological sciences were only barely to be considered sciences at all.

Starfleet had only just in the past fifty years or so begun to hold the psychological sciences to the same level and standards as things like biology, geology, and physics. Spock understood the hesitation. When dealing with emotional beings, things complied to a pattern of behavior, but hard-and-fast rules were difficult, if not impossible, to come by. It had been a "soft science" for centuries. Recent advances had managed to tie biological and neurochemical information to psychological patterns and behaviors to such a level that it had been qualified officially as a science, but many doctors remained as skeptical as Doctor McCoy on psychology's ability to accurately explain and interpret the mind, especially the human mind, and the corresponding behaviors scientifically.

The realm of psychology Counselor Buckingham dealt in was especially difficult to quantify. With most species, interpersonal relations led to the highest incidence of erratic, illogical, and unquantifiable and predictable behaviors. Romantic relationships were the most illogical of the most illogical, so the work the counselor was doing was revolutionary, looking for biochemical patterns and quantification not within like groups, but using the differences in biochemistry and neurochemistry in particular to examine what the meeting of two dissimilar groups could produce. Her results had been nothing short of spectacular, and many had suggested that she work on the project full-time, unhindered by interruptions of daily life aboard a starship. To the best of his knowledge, Spock did not expect Counselor Buckingham to make such a move. The fact that she'd taken extra time and energy to become an expert in tactical operations when she hadn't needed to for her desired career suggested that she enjoyed the daily life onboard a starship, relished it, and perhaps relied on it to structure her life and identity as many officers before her had done.

The doors opened and Vivian Buckingham reentered the bridge, a fresh uniform on and looking a bit more awake then she had when Spock had left her at her new quarters. Her hair had been straightened out as well, every piece of her blonde updo carefully pinned in place, no loose tendrils falling out around her soft brown eyes.

"Counselor Buckingham reporting for bridge duty, Captain," she said in a clear voice, and Jamara turned.

"I want you on sensors and communications while Spock is on the surface, Vivian." She paused. "Is it alright if I call you Vivian? Is there a nickname you would prefer?"

"Vivian is fine," the counselor said, looking a little taken aback by being addressed informally so quickly. "I will start on communications right away."

She moved gracefully, like a dancer, but for her shoulders, which appeared to be perpetually tense. Spock had seen this with trauma victims, and he wondered if she had undergone some trauma that was not part of her service record, which he had read thoroughly. If she had been close to her uncle, Lieutenant Commander Buckingham, who had been killed onboard a starship, perhaps news of his death had damaged her emotionally, but things occurring out of immediacy rarely left such physical markers.

Of course, it could have been dozens of things. A training accident at the academy. A personal trauma of some sort, between her and a friend or old boyfriend. Sibling rivalry, abusive parents. Any number of things that would never appear on her service records. Perhaps it would come out when they talked about his childhood, if he felt she would not be offended by his asking.

Spock was torn out of his musings by the voice of Mr. Sulu, who announced that they were ten minutes from entering orbit of Psi 2000. Counselor Buckingham donned the earpiece and sat at the seat Spock vacated in front of the sensors and comm panel. Kirk ordered Spock to meet Tormolen at the transporter room, and his mind went with his body, on to the mission at hand.


	2. The Naked Time

_Captain's Log. Our position, orbiting Psi 2000, an ancient world, now a frozen wasteland, about to rip apart in its death throes. Our mission, pick up a scientific party below, observe the disintegration of the planet._

Vivian tapped her fingers against the edge of the console, the communication headset in her ear and the sensors readouts on the screen in front of her. She had been put in charge of those two tasks while Mr. Spock was on the planet's surface. They hadn't received an answer from the scientific party when channels had been opened and the team was hailed, but Spock and Tormolen beamed down regardless.

"Any updates on possible interference in communications, Counselor?" Captain Kirk asked, frowning at the visual of the planet Mr. Spock pulled up for her before beaming down.

Vivian checked the sensors once more and said, "Negative, Captain. I'll keep trying."

Suddenly, the comm signal became active and Spock's voice came over in her ear. Vivian quickly tied the channel into the general Bridge speakers.

"Spock here. Do you read, Enterprise?"

"Kirk, affirmative."

"All station personnel are dead."

Vivian instantly turned her back on the sensors, turning to the center of the Bridge again. Kirk jumped to her feet suddenly at the news. It explained the lack of response, but whatever happened must have happened quickly, if the scientists hadn't tried to reach out.

"Counselor Buckingham here, Mr. Spock," she said. "I'm going to alert Doctor McCoy. Do you have a cause of death?"

"Unknown, Counselor. It's like nothing we've dealt with before."

Vivian took quick notes as Spock detailed their bizarre findings and he sent a message to the transporter room while she passed news onto Doctor McCoy. Whatever had happened, their reports would read very strangely.

_Captain's Log, stardate 1704.2. The science part we were to have picked up has been found dead. Life support systems had been turned off. Station personnel, frozen to death. Conditions highly unusual. Meanwhile, we remain in orbit to complete our mission, close scientific measurement of the breakup of this planet._

A communication came through from the transporter room, and Vivian put it through to the captain, who was looking increasingly nervous.

"Kirk here," she said, rubbing her knuckles absently.

"Spock and Tormolen aboard, sir," Scott said. "We're holding them in the chamber for decontamination."

"Counselor's arranged for Medicine to look them over, too. Tell Mr. Spock we'll meet him there in ten minutes. Captain out." She looked up to the helm. "Mr. Sulu, you have the bridge. Alert me to any changes in condition of the planet. Counselor Buckingham, with me, please."

"Yes, sir."

Vivian smoothed her skirt and followed the captain off the bridge, matching her quick pace toward Sickbay.

"Any ideas on what could have caused such behavior, Counselor?"

"There are a great number of things, Captain," Vivian said, running through her mind. "But nothing I could say for certain until we have more information from the away team."

They entered Sickbay to see Tormolen being scanned by Doctor McCoy, and Spock standing by.

"You're fine, Joe," McCoy said. "Up and out of there. Mr. Spock?" Spock took Tormolen's place and Vivian tried not to smile as she saw the scanner going mad with confusion at his readings. "Your pulse is two hundred and forty-two, your blood pressure is practically nonexistent, assuming you call that green stuff in your veins blood."

Spock stepped away from the scanner, not visibly offended, and Vivian got the sense that he was used to such comments. She was hardly surprised, given the attitudes she'd heard of with Vulcans toward cross-breeding. Humans weren't too much better in her experience.

"The readings are perfectly normal for me, Doctor, thank you," Spock said, straightening the cuffs on his uniform, "and as for my anatomy being different from yours, I am delight. Captain."

"How are they?" Kirk asked.

"They're fine, Jamie," the doctor said, setting down a PADD.

Before more questions could be asked, Tormolen burst out saying, "Terrible, Captain. It was terrible. They were just sitting, like they didn't care. Whatever was happening, they didn't care. I keep wondering-"

"You keep wondering if man was meant to be out here," Kirk said, irritated. Vivian sensed that this was an argument they'd had before. "You keep wondering, you keep signing on. Any guesses, Mr. Spock? Any idea of what happened down there?"

He shook his head and said, "I wish I could say, Captain. The circumstances were quite bizarre, however our record tapes may show us something."

"Six people," Tormolen muttered to himself. "Six people dead."

Vivian cleared her throat, and the rest of the room jumped at the sound. She supposed this was to be expected on a new ship, people forgetting she was there until they became used to her presence.

"Mr. Tormolen," she said softly but firmly, the voice she used with patients, "I think you need some rest. The cold and shock may be damaging your judgment. And I'd like to schedule some counseling sessions when we leave orbit, to ensure your state of mind."

"Yes, Counselor," he said begrudgingly, when Kirk nodded in approval.

"Set up those tapes, Mr. Spock," she said when Tormolen left the Sickbay. "We'll see if the answers are there. Counselor, if you wouldn't mind joining us."

/-/

Spock sat down across from the captain and counselor, and they were joined moments later with the rest of the senior staff, and the captain's yeoman, who helped Spock run the tapes through from the surface for the whole of the senior staff to consider.

"Next tape, please," he said, as they came toward the end.

"Spectro-analysis tape, sir."

"Thank you," he muttered, watching the face of the counselor, who was frowning thoughtfully at the readouts. Her service record on the Excalibur was excellent, but to join a new ship and have a case of human behavior like this presented to her was likely a poor combination.

"Almost as though they were irrational, drugged," Kirk said, tapping her fingernails on the briefing room table. "An engineer sitting there, apparently oblivious to everything. A woman strangled. A crewman with a phaser pistol in his hand."

"He'd used the computer room as if it were an amusement gallery," Spock said in agreement.

Vivian Buckingham cleared her throat and said, "And a man fully clothed and frozen to death in the shower. A gruesome, brutal sort of insanity, like the beginning of a bad joke or riddle. Irrationality, yes, Captain, but beyond that even... Theories on what caused the irrationality?"

She turned to Doctor McCoy who shook his head and said, "Definitely not drugs or intoxication. The bio-analysis on the tapes prove that conclusively."

"It could be some form of space madness we've never heard of," Spock said, watching the counselor nod thoughtfully, "but it would have to be caused by something. Our spectro-readings showed no contamination, no unusual elements present."

Scott spoke up and said, "Or at least none your tricorders could register."

"Instruments register only those things they're designed to register. Space still contains infinite unknowns."

The captain shook her head and turned off the tape reader.

"Earth Science needs the closest possible measurement of the breakup of this planet," she said firmly. "To do this, we need the Enterprise in a critically tight orbit. Question. Could what happened down there to those people create any danger to this vessel and crew?"

She looked between Spock and Vivian, who looked at each other, and he nodded for her to speak first.

"It's a difficult question, Captain," she said. "Assuming it's not a physical phenomenon that could independently influence objects in orbit, and assuming it's not a contaminant, and assuming that if it is our away team was unaffected, we should be safe as under any other conditions. If any one of those assumptions is false, dozens of factors could come into play, and given the wrong factors..."

As she trailed off, Spock noticed a bit of her hair coming loose, the tendril falling to the side of her face. She didn't seem to notice it, and he turned back to Captain Kirk.

"We will need top efficiency, Captain," he said. "It'll be a tricky orbit. When the planet begins to go, there may be drastic changes in gravity, mass, magnetic field."

"The purpose of a briefing is to get me answers based on your abilities and experience," Kirk said, sitting up a little bit straighter. "In a critical orbit, there's no time for surprise."

Scott smiled and said, "Unless you people on the Bridge start taking showers with your clothes on, my engines can pull us out of anything. We'll be warping out of orbit within half a second of getting your command."

The intercom sounded, and Sulu's voice said over the speakers, "Bridge to Captain."

"Kirk here."

"Scanners report sudden four degree shift in planet magnetic field. A change in mass also, sir."

"That's it," Vivian said quickly. "It's beginning."

Spock was puzzled by the way her face lit up with excitement, but her voice remained steady, almost unfazed. She had strangely strong restraint in some ways, but in others she was more emotive than even Doctor McCoy.

"On our way, Lieutenant," Captain Kirk said to Sulu. She turned back to the room and raised her eyebrows. "I'll hold you to that half second, Scotty."

_Captain's Log, supplemental. Our orbit tightening. Our need for efficiency, critical. But unknown to us, a totally new and unusual disease has been brought aboard._

Spock followed an anxious Vivian Buckingham to the sensors, looking over her shoulder as Riley said, "Relative gravity increasing, sir."

"Compensate, Mr. Riley."

"Yes, sir."

"Magnetic field continuing to shift, sir," Vivian said, adjusting a scanner. Spock turned to check in on the decks. "Planet continuing to shrink in mass."

"Mr. Spock?" Kirk asked.

"All scanning stations manned, all recorders functioning, Captain."

"Orbit steady now, sir."

Vivian turned to watch the screen, and Spock looked up to see her smiling a little.

"The planet is condensing more quickly than I expected," she said. "Strange to think this could be Earth one day."

She had spoken quietly, and perhaps no one else had heard her but Spock. He found her sentiment logical, but surprising for an Earth woman to make when watching a planet die. He couldn't imagine the captain making a similar remark.

"Helm answering nicely, Captain," Sulu said.

"Good."

"Communications status, Captain," a yeoman said, entering with files, which he handed to Spock. He looked over the information, then passed it to Vivian Buckingham, who eagerly perused the information he had ordered for her once they'd heard the news that Joseph Tormolen had stabbed himself in the break room.

"Tormolen's record?" Captain Kirk asked, looking over at them.

"Psychiatric file, personality quotients," Spock said, nodding.

"It's hard to make a professional judgment on a man I've barely spoken to," Vivian said, looking up from the information at Spock. He was surprised, looking at her eyes, to find them calm and soft. Perhaps she had dealt with many such situations. "Do you think he was trying to kill himself?"

"It's doubtful he meant to," Spock said, looking away from her eyes to examine the Captain's thoughts. "He was confused, self-tortured."

"Doesn't sound like the man I know," Jamie said, shaking her head, reaching for the information, which Vivian handed her quickly.

"His capacity for self-doubt has always been rather high," Spock reasoned. "What puzzles me is what brought it to the surface with so much force."

The ship jolted as he said this, and Vivian almost lost her balance. Spock grabbed her forearm to steady her, and Kirk said, "What is it?"

"Relative gravity increase, sir," Sulu said. "Like the planet reached out and yanked at us."

"Compensate," Kirk said, standing and crossing to the navigation panel. Riley seemed distracted by something on his hand, and Spock frowned, watching him wipe his hand on his uniform instead of obeying the order. Vivian reached out and adjusted the control as Kirk repeated, "Compensate."

"Orbit steady now, sir," Riley said sheepishly. "May be a little nervous, I guess."

"This is McCoy," the intercom said. "Captain Kirk to Sickbay."

Kirk, sat down again and said, "Buckingham, tell McCoy I'll be there when I can."

"Yes, sir."

Spock watched her replace her earpiece and proceed to pass along the communication before turning to the sensors once more. She'd adjusted her hair again. He focused his mind on the issue at hand.

"Planet breakup is imminent, Captain," he said. "Shrinking size at an increasing rate. As the planet continues to shrink in size, the surface moves away from us."

"Forcing us to spiral down to maintain the same distance from it," Kirk said, continuing the thought.

"Exactly. We must be prepared to respond instantly to any sudden change."

"Engine room from Bridge," Kirk said, pressing her comm button.

"Scott here, Captain."

"Tie into the helm, Scotty. If we should call for power, we'll want it fast."

"No problem, sir. You'll have it."

Vivian looked up from the screen she'd sat at and said, "Constant rate of compaction, Captain."

"Then let's you and I go see what the good doctor wants," Kirk said, standing and smoothing her skirt. "Keep me informed of any change, Mr. Spock."

"Acknowledged," Spock said, taking the earpiece from Vivian Buckingham and watching her adjust her fallen strand of hair once more as she left with the Captain.

/-/

Vivian looked down at the corpse of the man who was supposed to be her first appointment on board. Obviously, she hadn't arrived soon enough for him. Or...whatever it was taking hold of him was too powerful, too fast acting. Mr. Spock's words about what had caused this all to overtake Tormolen so quickly echoed in her mind as she used the brain scanner to try to determine something from the inactive brain. Some imprints were left for about a day after death, but they were often hard to read and difficult to pick up completely on even the most powerful equipment. What she received from her scan of Tormolen was so erratic and scattered that even if she was getting the complete picture, she could make no real use of it without being able to talk with him.

"Intestinal damage wasn't that severe," Doctor McCoy was explaining to Captain Kirk. "I got to him in plenty of time. That man should still be alive. The only reason he died, Jamie, is he didn't want to live. He gave up."

Outrage burst out of her before she could stop herself, and Vivian said, "We can't know that for certain, Doctor, even if we could have done a full psychological check."

McCoy looked at her, sizing her up for a moment, then looking down at the corpse between them.

"Well, that may be. Maybe. I've lost patients before, but not like that. Not Joe's kind. That kind of man doesn't give up."

"Coincidence?" Kirk said, frowning down at the body. "Maybe."

McCoy looked up, startled.

"You mean that Joe was down on the planet surface and you're gonna ask us if it's connected."

"That's exactly what I was going to ask."

Vivian exchanged a look with Doctor McCoy. Even if they had more evidence, Vivian wouldn't have felt comfortable saying for certain that a man effectively took his life because of whatever happened on that surface. Because they didn't understand what it was, and what if it was catching?

"Jamie," Doctor McCoy finally said, "he was decontaminated. He's been medically checked. We've run every test we know for everything we know."

With a shaking hand, Vivian turned off her scanner and then adjusted her hair as she stood up a bit straighter.

"But that's just it, isn't it?" she said, looking at the Doctor, feeling the weight of her words in her chest as she carefully measured them out. "Like Mr. Spock said, tests and instruments only work as fara as they're designed to work, only within the known. But there's plenty we don't know."

McCoy blinked at her mention of Mr. Spock. Perhaps he hadn't expected her to be quoting the Science Officer so quickly, or perhaps he didn't like what she was saying.

"Well," he insisted, "we're doing everything that's possible."

Captain Kirk shook her head and said, "Bones, I want the impossible checked, too."

"Security," Mr. Spock's voice said over the intercom, "Mr. Riley is headed for Sickbay. See to it he arrives. Captain Kirk and Counselor Buckingham to the Bridge."

/-/

Vivian stepped onto the Bridge again with confidence, but she was surprised to be immediately addressed by Mr. Spock upon arrival.

"Counselor, relieve Lieutenant Brent."

"Yes, of course," she said, crossing the Bridge in a few swift steps, taking control of the navigation post that had been manned by Riley when she and Captain Kirk left for Sickbay. Whatever had happened to him, she couldn't help but notice that Lieutenant Sulu was gone as well. Perhaps something was spreading after all.

"What were the symptoms?" she heard Captain Kirk ask Mr. Spock.

"Nonviolent at this stage. Slightly disoriented. Riley seemed rather pleased with himself as if he were-"

"Irrational, or drugged."

"Precisely."

The captain set the comm earpiece beside Vivian, who quickly put it on with one hand, making adjustments to compensate for the changes with the condensing planet with her other hand. She only wished she had a third hand to deal with her hair.

"Security, Counselor Buckingham."

"Yes, sir."

"Both Sulu and Riley, locate and confine. I want every crewman who comes into contact with them medically checked."

Vivian began to switch to a channel where she could directly interact with only Security personnel when Mr. Spock said, "Sir, level two, corridor three reports a disturbance. Mr. Sulu chasing crewmen with a sword."

"Counselor, put Security on it."

She nodded and completed her transmission to Security, adjusting the comm signals so that she could pick up more complete interactions while she adjusted the orbit.

"Fascinating," Mr. Spock said. "A pattern is developing. First, Tormolen. Hidden personality traits beign forced to the surface. Then Riley, who fancies himself a descendant of Irish kings, and now Sulu, who is at heart a swashbuckler out of your 18th century."

"Present condition of Psi 2000."

Vivian frowned, trying to adjust the navigation, but nothing was doing as she asked it to do.

"Gravity pull increasing," Mr. Spock announced. "We've shifted to two percent and should stabilize our position."

"Trying, Mr. Spock," she said, schooling all irritation out of her voice. Being irritated would do her no good. Focusing on how to fix it might.

"Helm is not answering to control," the crewman at her left said, not as good at keepign irritation out of his own voice.

"Warp us out of here," Kirk said.

"No response from engines, sir," he said.

"Impulse power, then. Blast us out of this orbit."

"Impulse engines also dead, sir."

"Engine room, we need power!" Spock cried.

"Mr. Scott, acknowledge. Our controls are dead. Take her."

The door to the bridge opened and Vivian started to find that Mr. Sulu had entered with a sword, brandishing it at the captain. Vivian stood, knowing that she might have to talk him down if his friends couldn't reach his rationality.

"Richelieu, at last."

No, his rationality was definitely out of the question.

"Sulu, put that," the captain touched the point of the sword, discovering that it was sharp and jerking her hand away, "put that thing away."

"For honor, Queen, and France!"

Sulu lunged at Kirk, who dodged deftly, but Vivian hurried forward.

"Sulu," she said, which caught his attention quickly.

"Ah," he said, brightening at the sight of her.

"Sulu, may I see that?"

She'd gotten too close, though, and he was too irrational. He grabbed her, vigorously crying, "I'll protect you, fair maiden." It took a bit of a struggle, but Vivian managed to break free of his hold, rushing behind Mr. Spock just in cause. "Foul Richelieu," Sulu cried. Kirk managed to hold him, and Vivian watched with astonishment as Mr. Spock did a neck-pinch on Sulu that rendered the man unconscious.

"I'd like you to teach me that sometime," Captain Kirk laughed.

"Take D'Artagnon here to Sickbay," Spock said to nearby crewmen. They nodded, taking him away.

"Scotty," Kirk said, reaching out to Engineering again, "we need power." He waited, no response. "Engine room, acknowledge."

Instead of the lilt of Mr. Scott, a very different voice said, "You rang, sir?"

"Who's this?" Kirk demanded.

"This is Captain Kevin Thomas Riley of the Starship Enterprise. And who's this?"

Vivian and Mr. Spock exchanged stunned looks as the captain said, "This is Captain Kirk. Get out of the engine room, navigator. Where's Mr. Scott?"

"I've relieved Mr. Scott of his duties. Now, attention, cooks. This is your captain speaking. I would like double portions of ice cream for the entire crew."

Hurriedly, Vivian turned to the nearest comm panel and made attempts to do something about the crazed man in the engineering room.

"Trying to clear the tube, sir-"

"And now, your captain will render an ancient, Irish favorite." Riley then began to sing, "I'll take you home again Kathleen-"

"Captain," Mr. Spock said. "At our present rate of descent, we have less than 20 minutes before we enter planet atmosphere."

"And burn up. I know, Mr. Spock."

Riley continued to sing, "Wild and wide to where your heart..."

And Vivian frantically pressed every button on the comm panel, to no avail.

_Captain's Log, stardate 1704.4. Ship out of control, spiraling down towards planet Psi 2000. We have nineteen minutes left without engine power or helm control._

Captain Kirk when to check on where Mr. Scott was, and what to do about Riley, but Vivian remained with Mr. Spock on the Bridge, manning navigation and communications, desperately trying to get something out of either situation.

"Status report, all sections," Mr. Spock said, staring at the condensing planet on the screen.

"Mr. Spock," a yeoman said, also listening to the comm panel, "a fight in the aft wardroom. Security reports incidents among the crewmen are increasing."

"Go to Alert Baker two," Vivian said to the yeoman, handing over the comm earpiece and focusing on navigation. "Seal off main sections."

He nodded, adjusting the comm earpiece and saying, "All decks, alert system B two. Repeat, alert condition Baker two. Seal off all main sections." Vivian turned when someone entered and was mildly relieved to find that it was Captain Kirk. "Standby," the yeoman said, waiting for any possible change in orders.

Mr. Spock stepped forward and said, "We're going to seal off, Captain, if we can minimise the spread of whatever this is."

She nodded and said, "Continue the alert, Yeoman."

Vivian could feel a slight brush of despair when the girl shook her head and said, "I can't, sir. He's cut off the alert channels."

Riley's voice filled the Bridge once more and he said, "Yeoman Barrows. You've interrupted my song. I'm sorry, but there'll be no ice cream for you tonight."

"Cut him off," the captain demanded.

Vivian continued to press comm buttons and shook her head, saying, "Impossible, sir. There's no way to do it." Mr. Spock moved forward to double check her declaration as Riley's voice continued to give orders.

"Attention, crew. This is Captain Riley. There will be a formal dance in the bowling alley at nineteen hundred hours tonight."

Mr. Spock shook his head and confirmed, "No way, Captain. He controls the main power panels. He can override any channel from down there. Seventeen minutes left, sir."

The ship gave another severe jolt, more violent than before, and Vivian instinctively grabbed at the edge of the panel to steady herself, grabbing Mr. Spock's hand instead, apologizing as they stabilized again, but he either didn't hear her or was choosing to ignore.

"Sickbay to Bridge," said the voice of Doctor McCoy.

"Can you tie me in to the Sickbay?" Kirk asked wearily, and Yeoman Barrows complied.

"I'm getting you, Jamie," McCoy continued. "Look, can you keep this beast level? I've got Sulu tranquilized down here and we're running tests on him. So far there's nothing unusual in his bloodstream. Body functions seem normal."

"Riley's the immediate problem, Doctor," Captain Kirk sighed. "Is there any way, anything you can do to snap him out of it?"

"Negative, until I can get a little farther on these tests."

Riley's voice then cut in once more and said, "This is Captain Riley. Crew, I have some additional orders. In future, all female crew members will wear their hair loosely about their shoulders. And use restraint in putting on your makeup. Women, women should not look made up." Vivian absently adjusted her own hair, her frustration with Riley increasing exponentially every time he spoke. "And now, crew, I will render Kathleen one more time!"

"Please, no," Vivian moaned, but he couldn't hear her, and she didn't think he would stop if he could.

"I'll take you home again Kathleen. I've watched them fade away and die. And tears bedim your loving eyes. Oh, I will take you home Kathleen."

Mr. Scott's voice broke in and said, "Engineering to Bridge. Try your helm. You'll have enough power to keep her stabilized."

The crewman at the helm and Vivian began to eagerly adjust to stabilize the vehicle, which was a surprising comfort after everything they had been through. Mr. Spock, however, had a way of reminding them of exactly how little there was to celebrate.

"Sixteen minutes left, Captain," he announced. "We've stabilized, but still spiraling down.

"Emergency signal, Captain," Yeoman Barrows said, touching a few comm buttons. "Both decks four and five. Fights and disorders."

"Counselor, get me sickbay," Captain Kirk ordered, and Vivian tried to comply, to tie her in, but she instantly became frustrated again whens he realized she had absolutely no control.

"I can't get Sickbay," she said, breathing deeply to keep calm. "He's switching channels like mad."

Captain Kirk settled into her chair and frowned at the screen. Then she said, "See what you can do to help Doctor McCoy, Spock. Better check Scotty first. Move him faster. Hes' got to through that bulkhead."

There was brief peace on the Bridge when Mr. Spock left, but a crewman barged in several minutes later, causing a disturbance. Vivian struggled to keep the ship level while the helmsman aided their security officials in subduing the intruder, and Captain Kirk was just ordering him off the bridge when Yeoman Rand entered, looking flustered.

"I would have gotten here sooner, but Crewman Moody stopped me in the hallway," she said, anxious.

"Take the helm," Captain Kirk ordered.

"Sir?" Yeoman Rand asked, puzzled and flustered.

"The helm!"

"Yes, sir."

She rushed to sit beside Vivian, taking over the helm and stabilizing the ship once more. Vivian was sick of feeling her heart racing. Just when she thought things were going to calm again, Riley's voice came on again.

"Kathleen. And now crew, one more time!"

Vivian had lost it, and cried out, "Oh, for the love of-!"

"I'll take you home again, Kathleen."

She frantically flipped through comm channels to no effect, and Captain Kirk told her to keep trying, although Vivian had no intention of stopping until Riley passed out from lack of breath.

"Across the ocean wild and wide."

"Scotty," Captain Kirk said, tying into Scott's location with Yeoman Barrows's help.

"Engine room."

"We've got twelve minutes left. It'll take two or three of them to get the engines up to power now."

"Then we'll make it, sir, if all goes right."

"Call me when you've cut through. I want to be there. Kirk out."

With the exception of Riley's constant noise, several minutes passed by without event, Vivian flipping through comm channels anxiously and holding the ship steady. Eventually Mr. Scott called in to say they were ready to cut through, and Captain Kirk left the Bridge temporarily to Vivian. As understaffed as they were on the Bridge, however, Vivian decided she needed to call in reinforcements, and tied in to Sickbay.

"Captain is en route to Engineering, Mr. Spock," she said. "Can you take the Bridge? Acknowledge." She paused to wait, checking that the link was working before saying, "Bridge to Sickbay. Is Mr. Spock there? Mr. Spock, would you please acknowledge?"

No answer came, though, and Vivian became increasingly uneasy. She did not know the Enterprise well enough yet to run the Bridge in an emergency like the one they were about to find themselves facing. She needed to find Mr. Spock, but there was no one she could let leave, and no one she could call to the Bridge to take her place.

"Yeoman Barrows," she said, feeling anxious, "take navigation." The Yeoman rushed to do as ordered, and then Vivian asked who was the highest ranking besides herself currently on the Bridge.

"Me, Counselor," Yeoman Rand said nervously. "That would be me."

"You have the Bridge until I can send you reinforcements, Yeoman," Vivian sighed. "I need to find Mr. Spock. Keep us steady, call for help if there's an emergency."

"Yes, Counselor."

Vivian hurried to look for Spock anywhere she could think of, slower than she would like because of all the fights that had broken out.

But there he was, sitting in the briefing room, muttering to himself, close to tears. Vivian was stunned by this sight, a Vulcan close to tears. Obviously, he had been affected by the illness while out to Sickbay, and she moved closer to hear that he was muttering, "I'm in control of my emotions."

That he was struggling was admirable, perhaps even essential, but Vivian didn't know enough about the illness to help him, so she decided to treat him like a scared child or startled animal, sitting beside him, taking his hand. Continuing her surprise, Mr. Spock squeezed her hand, hugging her forcefully, sobbing, breaking down. Vivian felt momentarily guilty, that perhaps her act had pushed him over the edge, stopped an essential struggle. But the guilt faded as she began to smooth his hair, making soothing noises she'd learned from her mother, noises she'd used to sooth her own sister when she had been young and sick and afraid.

_Captain's Log, supplemental. The Enterprise, spiraling down out of control. Ship's outer skin heating rapidly due to friction with planet atmosphere._

Vivian had lost nearly all of her rationality, holding Mr. Spock and smoothing his hair, sobbing with him as he muttered barely intelligible things about his childhood to her. She heard Mr. Scott's voice over the speaker giving orders, but her mind barely processed them.

"Engineers, man your stations. Engine rooms, report. Cycling station, report. This will be an emergency restart of the engines."

Her body responded to the news before her mind, and an intense fear came over her just as Captain Kirk entered the briefing room, frowning at the sight of Vivian and Mr. Spock hugging and crying.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. "What happened?"

Mr. Spock continued to babble as Vivian smoothed his hair, saying, "My mother. I could never tell her I loved her."

"We've got four minutes," Captain Kirk said, "maybe five."

Vivian forced herself to focus on this new information, still smoothing the hair, but although her her body was feeling overwhelming fear, she found her voice gently saying, "That's not enough time for the engines, Captain."

"An Earth woman," Mr. Spock continued to say, "living on a planet where love, emotion, is bad taste."

"We've got to risk a full-power start," Captain Kirk said, and Vivian felt her chest and throat tighten with panic. "The engines were shut off. No time to regenerate them. Do you hear me, Spock? We've got to risk a full-power start!"

"I respected my father, our customs. I was ashamed of my Earth blood." To Vivian's shock, Kirk reached forward and smacked Mr. Spock hard across the face, but he continued to speak, this time to Captain Kirk. "When I feel friendship for you, Jamie, I feel ashamed."

Vivian's panic carried over, and she modeled Captain Kirk's idea, smacking Mr. Spock, recognizing through her panic that his ability to function was directly tied to their survival. She pinched and slapped repeatedly as she said, "Mr. Spock, you need to snap out... We're risking implosion! We need a formula!"

"It's never been done!" he cried, suddenly aware for a moment. "Try to understand, Vivian. I've spent a whole lifetime learning to hide my feelings."

She was stunned when he grabbed her arms by the wrists, holding her back from slapping him, and yet simply holding her there, her eyes wide as she stared up at him, wondering what was going to happen.

"We've got to risk implosion," Captain Kirk said. "It's our only chance."

"It's never been done," Mr. Spock said, still staring at Vivian.

"Don't tell me that again, Science Officer!" Kirk snarled. "It's a theory. It's possible. We may go up into the biggest ball of fire since the last sun in these parts exploded, but we've got to take that one in ten thousand chance!"

The panic overwhelming her, Vivian began to cry uncontrollably, sobbing and choking as her throat closed. Mr. Spock continued to hold his wrists, but he also tried to awkwardly hug her once more.

"Bridge to Captain," Yeoman Rand's voice announced. "Engineer asked did you find-"

"Yes, I found Mr. Spock!" Kirk snapped. "I'm talking to Mr. Spock, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. Three and a half minutes left, Captain."

Vivian continued to cry as Kirk began to pace.

"I've got it," she said, "the disease." She snorted and spat, "Love. You're better off without it, and I'm better off without mine. This vessel, I give, she takes. She won't permit me to live my life. I've got to live hers."

"Jamie," Mr. Spock said softly.

Vivian felt her fingernails digging into her palms as she pulled her breathing together enough to choke out in a whisper, "I don't want to die."

Mr. Spock's hands tightened around her wrists and Captain Kirk continued, unhearing.

"I have a beautiful yeoman. Have you noticed her, Mr. Spock? You're allowed to notice her. The Captain's not permitted -"

"Jamie, there is an intermix formula," Mr. Spock said.

"Ships are jealous mistresses."

"It's never been tested. It's a theoretical relationship between time and antimatter."

Mr. Spock's measured, rational voice seemed to soothe Vivian's panic, and she turned to see Captain Kirk pacing, her face sweating profusely as she said, "Flesh to touch, to hold. A beach to walk on. A few days, no braid on my shoulder."

The door to the briefing room opened and Mr. Scott entered, but Captain Kirk continued to pace, not noticing anything.

"Captain," Vivian choked out. "Scott is here."

Kirk turned to look at the Chief Engineer anxiously.

"Scotty, help," she begged.

Mr. Spock let go of Vivian, untangling himself and crossing the briefing room.

"Stand by to intermix," he said, forgetting everything that had happened as he focused his rational mind as best he could. Vivian could feel her panic still, but she held it inside her, trying to focus her own intellect. "I'll call the formulae in from the Bridge."

Yeoman Rand's voice intruded again, saying, "Entering upper stratosphere, Captain. Skin temperature now twenty-one hundred seventy degrees."

Captain Kirk wiped sweat from her brow and said, "I've got to hang on. Tell them. Clear the corridors, the turbolift. Hurry."

/-/

As soon as Vivian arrived on the Bridge, Doctor McCoy gave her a hypo shot, preparing another.

"How far behind was Jamie?" he asked.

"Not sure," Vivian said, motioning for Yeoman Barrows to return to the main comm panel and leave navigation her. "Soon enough."

The hypo had only just been prepared when Captain Kirk walked onto the Bridge from the turbolift. She shrugged him away and sat in her chair, immediately tying herself into Engineering.

"Engine room," she said. "We're set." She looked up at the screen, letting go of the button. "Hyperbolic course."

"Direction, sir?" Vivian asked, fingers poised above the controls.

"Direction," Captain Kirk echoed absently. "Direction. It doesn't matter. The way we came."

Sulu, who appeared completely recovered and back to work, nodded, adjusting the helm and saying, "Course laid in, sir," as soon as Vivian input the coordinates.

"Fuel temperature," Mr. Spock over the speakers.

"Level," said Mr. Scott's voice, over the speakers.

"No beach to walk on," Captain Kirk muttered, and Vivian turned to see her watching Yeoman Rand, who frowned, confused.

"Sir?"

Vivian replaced the comm earpiece and said, "Bridge to Engineering. How is it coming, Mr. Spock?"

"We're ready, Bridge," he replied.

"Engage," Captain Kirk said.

Some roughness ensued, but when it subsided, the turbolift door opened and Mr. Spock entered, his face level, as though nothing that had occurred in the briefing room ever happened.

"Are you alright, Jamie?" he asked, leaning toward the captain.

"Are you?" Captain Kirk asked.

He held Vivian's gaze as he nodded, before turning to his station.

"We found a cure," Doctor McCoy said, lingering by the Captain's chair. "We're over that part of it."

"Your calculations worked, Mr. Spock," Vivian said before he could check his machines. "Engines imploded."

"Captain, my velocity gauge is off the scale," Mr. Sulu said anxiously.

Mr. Spock said, "Engine power went off the scale as well." He frowned down at his sensors. "We're now traveling faster than is possible for normal space."

Vivian exchanged astonished expressions with the captain before Kirk said, "Check elapsed time, Mr. Sulu."

Sure enough, he said, "My chronometer's running backwards, sir."

Her heart was racing again, and Vivian looked down at the readouts on her navigation panel, trying not to panic.

"Time warp," Captain Kirk said softly. "We're going backward in time. Helm, begin reversing power. Slowly."

Vivian watched her sensors carefully for a change before announcing, "Helm answering, sir. Power reversing."

"We're back to normal time, Captain," Mr. Spock confirmed.

"Engines ahead, warp one."

"Warp one, sir," Mr. Sulu acknowledged.

"Mr. Spock," Captain Kirk said, turning toward the side sensors.

"Yes, sir."

"The time warp. What did it to us?"

"We've regressed in time seventy-one hours. It is now three days ago, Captain. We have three days to live over again."

Vivian laughed and said, "Hopefully with much variation from from what we just lived."

Mr. Spock nodded and turned to look at Captain Kirk, saying, "This does open some intriguing prospects, Captain. Since the formula worked, we can go back in time, to any planet, to any era."

Captain Kirk gave a weary smile and said, "We may risk it someday, Mr. Spock. Resume course to our next destination, Mr. Sulu."

"Course laid in, sir," Mr. Sulu said.

"Steady as she goes."

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to reader and reviewer, **_**Vulcanlover12**_**, whose enthusiasm is pleasantly surprising, and hopefully continues moving forward!**

** -C**


	3. The Enemy Within

_Captain's Log, stardate 1672.1. Specimen gathering mission on planet Alpha 177. Unknown to any of us during this time, a duplicate of me, some strange alter ego, had been created by a transporter malfunction._

Vivian walked into the main section of Sickbay, which her office attached to, and she closed her bag, done with her medical work for the day. He was examining a crewman she'd only met twice, but she wanted to get her report in and do a short shift on the Bridge, maybe get some rec time in before dinner.

"Some space is cleared in my schedule, Bones, if you need to make referrals," she said, finally feeling like she'd gotten into the rhythm of life on a new ship, especially bonding with the rest of the senior staff, who treated her like family. "I discharged three patients this week."

"Understood, counselor," he said, shaking his head at the crewman. "Well, you picked a good day, Fisher. Business has been lousy. What'd you do, take a fall on purpose so you could get a little vacation?"

Suddenly, the Sickbay door entered and Captain Kirk burst in, looking slightly wild, crying out, "Saurian brand."

Vivian frowned, hardly listening as McCoy said, "Back to duty status, Fisher. I have no sympathy for clumsiness."

"No, sir," Fisher said, a bit sheepish. "The hand's much better, sir."

Fisher left, and Doctor McCoy actually gave Vivian a confused look before turning to the captain and saying, "What can I do for you, Jamie?"

Bizarrely, she reached out and grabbed Bones by the neck and snarled, "I said give me the brandy!"

Without waiting for the brandy to be handed over, she snatched up the bottle and just walked out with it, leaving both Doctor McCoy and Vivian standing, staring after her in shock.

"That just happened," Vivian said, bemused. "I mean, that actually just happened and I'm not hallucinating after the week I've had."

"No, I saw it too," Doctor McCoy agreed, nodding. "What do you make of an outburst like that, Counselor?"

She shook her head, sitting down on the end of one of the cots, frowning at the Sickbay door. Vivian was still fresh enough to the crew that she didn't feel comfortable diagnosing or even attempting without a brain scan, but from everything she'd known while interacting with the captain, and from Kirk's files, there was nothing to indicate that any such behavior could be expected.

"You know her better than I do, Bones," Vivian finally sighed. "I can't really fathom it, but... She could be ill, I suppose. Or some sort of personal news just came in? She obviously didn't want to talk with us about it."

"Well," he said, frowning, "taking off with a bottle of brandy won't solve anything either. I hate to say this, but perhaps you'd better talk to Mr. Spock about this one."

Vivian nodded. Spock spent almost all of his time on the Bridge, and so he knew the fluxes of the captain's mood better than anyone simply by virtue of proximity. And he was an expert at spotting strange patterns of human behavior in ways that constantly made Vivian think he would have made a brilliant psychologist.

"I was heading up to the Bridge anyway," she said, standing and adjusting her bag, brushing a bit of hair out of her face. "I'll see what he suggests and register our concern."

Bones went back to his files and Vivian reported to the Bridge, where Mr. Spock was at the computer, carefully filing information gathered on the planet's surface by the away team.

"Mr. Spock," Vivian said, "I'm reporting for Bridge duty, and I need to have a quick, private word with you, if that's possible." He looked up, intrigued. "It could be very important."

"Of course, Counselor," he said, nodding.

They ducked into the briefing room for a moment, leaving the navigator in charge of the Bridge.

"Fisher and the captain returned from the surface," she said softly. "They were both in Sickbay. Fisher took a fall I guess, but I'm not sure what happened to the captain."

Mr. Spock frowned.

"What seemed to be the trouble?"

Vivian explained as best she could the erratic behavior of the captain, the wildness in her eyes, the ferocious demands and leaving with a bottle of brandy after attacking Doctor McCoy. Spock's demeanor grew increasingly puzzled and concerned.

"And you have no explanation for this behavior," he said slowly.

"Can you think of any?" she said, shaking her head. "It is utterly unlike the Jamara Kirk I've come to know, and Bones said the same. We were hoping you could talk to her, figure out what's going on, or at least join us in the speculation."

Spock nodded, looking down in thought. Finally, he looked up at her and said, "I will ask after her health, see if I can determine what is going on. I'll leave you with the bridge, Counselor, while I am away."

"Thank you, Spock," Vivian said, smiling. "I'll catalogue your specimen readings if you'd like."

He nodded and thanked her, and she assumed a seat at the computer after reentering the Bridge, hoping against hope that Spock would turn up something, anything at all of value, or to explain this bizarre incident.

/-/

Spock didn't know what to expect when he talked to the captain, but from Counselor Buckingham's description, something was most definitely wrong with Jamie Kirk. In all the time he had known her, she had never behaved in anything that even resembled what was reported to have happened at Sickbay. Still, he buzzed. Every illogical behavior had a logical explanation.

"Yeah," said the voice of Captain Kirk from inside her quarters. The voice was most certainly hers, and she didn't sound wild.

"Mr. Spock."

"Come in." Spock opened the door and looked in to find Captain Kirk laying on her bed, smiling. He did not see a bottle of brandy anywhere, and Jamie's eyes looked anything but wild. In fact, he might have described them as almost docile. "Yes, Mr. Spock, what is it?"

He glanced around the room again quickly before asking, "Is there anything I can do for you, Captain?"

She sat up, bemused, and asked, "Like what?"

"Well, Counselor Buckingham and Doctor McCoy seemed to think I should check on you."

Jamie narrowed her eyes and said, "That's nice. Come on, Spock, I know that look. What is it?"

He could foresee no harm using the direct approach while the captain appeared so calm, so Spock said, "Well, our counselor said you were acting like a wild woman, demanding brandy."

Kirk actually laughed, saying, "Medical's been putting you on again."

"Hmm," he said. If it had been Doctor McCoy, he would have believed that. But from what he had learned of Vivian Buckingham in her time on the Enterprise, while he did not think it impossible, Spock thought it highly improbable that she would partake in such behavior. But Captain Kirk appeared to know nothing at all of what had been claimed. "Well, in that case, if you'll excuse the intrusion, Captain, I'll get back to my work."

"I'll report that you were properly annoyed."

"Captain," he said, leaving and letting his mind work through the strange puzzle all the way back to the Bridge. When he arrived, Vivian Buckingham was there, as promised, coagulating data from collections on the planet's surface.

"Any ideas, Mr. Spock?" she asked, smiling and standing, letting him sit in his seat while she sat next to him at the comm panel.

He shook his head and said, "Strangely enough, she made no sign that she understood or knew anything about the incident in question, and I assure you that the Captain Kirk I saw was reasonable, calm, and had no brandy in her room."

The counselor's smile faded into a frown of confusion as she took in this news, and she shook her head, utterly puzzled.

"I'm telling you, Mr. Spock-"

"I believe you," he said, frowning. "The only problem is, I believe both of you. And as of yet, I can find no logical solution to this puzzle."

She shook her head, but Spock turned away, looking at the computer, organizing the information she had yet to get to. There was no point working through a puzzle when he didn't have all of the pieces.

Soon enough, however, she startled beside him and began touching her comm earpiece, brushing a bit of hair out of her eyes anxiously.

"Mr. Fisher?" she said. "Fisher, report, this is the Bridge."

Spock turned to see her frantic.

"What's on Deck twelve?" she muttered to herself. "Quarters, isn't it?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Geological Technician Fisher just sent an emergency signal from deck twelve," she said, standing abruptly, flipping through comm signals. "But he cut off before he could name the section and I couldn't get a response on what was wrong."

Spock stood as well, thinking that her intuition of the situation was correct: it merited attention and could turn out to be something terrible. He left the navigator in charge of the Bridge once more and he and Vivian Buckingham rushed to deck twelve, eager to determine what had happened to Mr. Fisher, and what exactly was going on aboard the ship.

/-/

The tension in sickbay was so thick Vivian felt slightly nauseous. She had dealt with a couple of issues of sexual assault with rash young crewmen, but never a captain. Janice Rand, looked so befuddled and distressed as she told her story, and Mr. Spock looked on with chilling disinterest. It was all Vivian could do not to scream at how horrific this whole situation was, and puzzling with the captain's continuing insistence that she had done nothing.

"Then she kissed me," Janice said, her voice choked and shaking, "and she said that we, that she was the Captain and she could order me. I didn't know what to do." She looked up at Captain Kirk for the first time since entering the room and said, "When you mentioned the feelings we'd ben hiding, and you started talking about us-"

Her voice broke in a strangled sound and she looked down again. Trauma victims were always heartbreaking, but this felt strangely close to Vivian, despite the fact that she'd not gotten to know Yeoman Rand particularly well in her time on the Enterprise.

"What did you do, Yeoman?" she said, prodding gently. Talking would be painful for the Yeoman in the moment, but in the long term it would be healing, and it might help shed light on what was going on.

"Well, she is the captain," Janice said, shrugging and looking up at Vivian. "I couldn't just..." She turned to look at Captain Kirk again, becoming increasingly agitated. "You started hurting me. I had to fight you, and scratch your face."

Vivian blinked, and Jamie seemed to pick up on this inconsistency as well, leaning forward, pointing at her cheek, urgent.

"Yeoman," she said, "look at me. Look at me, look at my face. Are there any scratches?"

They all looked at the captain to see smooth, unharmed chestnut-brown skin. Not even an irritation on the skin. Things were beginning to piece together for Vivian, although how any of it were possible... She glanced at Mr. Spock and saw that he, too, seemed to be forming some sort of idea of what they were dealing with.

"I was sure I scratched you," Janice Rand said, troubled. "I was frightened. Maybe-"

"Yeoman," Kirk pressed. "I was in my room. It wasn't me."

"Sir, Fisher saw you, too."

"Fisher saw?"

"If it hadn't been... I can understand... I don't want to get you into trouble, sir. I wouldn't have even mentioned it!"

"It wasn't me!" Kirk insisted.

Fisher shook his head from the main part of sickbay, coming into Doctor McCoy's office, where he was waiting for Doctor McCoy to attend to the injuries sustained in the struggle with the alleged attacker.

"It was you, sir," he said firmly.

Kirk stood up to face her accuser, and Vivian exchanged a nervous look with Bones, who was shifting in the corner.

"Do you know what you're saying?" Kirk demanded.

Fisher nodded and said, "Yes, I know what I'm saying."

Vivian could see that Kirk wanted to counter this, but Fisher needed tending and none of this would get them anywhere.

"Fisher," she said in her most authoritative voice, "get back in bed. Doctor-"

Bones nodded and led Fisher back away to be dealt with and she turned back into the room, where Spock cleared his throat and said, "You can go now, Yeoman." Janice nodded, taking one last look at an astonished Kirk before she left the room. Spock then turned to Vivian and Kirk, who were waiting for his assessment. "There's only one logical answer. We have an imposter aboard."

As the weight of this settled onto the two women, Vivian found herself feeling even more nauseous than before.

_Captain's log, stardate 1672.9. On the planet's surface, temperatures are beginning to drop, our landing party there in growing jeopardy. Due to the malfunction of the ship's transporter, an unexplained duplicate of myself definitely exists._

Vivian stood with Spock and Kirk in the transporter room, looking at two animals Mr. Scott had called them down about.

"How did this all happen?" Kirk asked.

"I don't know, sir, but when Fisher came up, his suit was covered with soft yellow ore that had highly unusual properties," Scott said. "It may have caused an overload. Can't tell, not yet."

Vivian knelt beside the two versions of the animal, one docile, the other monstrously vicious. It certainly looked like a similar case to what seemed to be happening with the captain.

"Does the transporter work at all?" Captain Kirk asked.

"Yes, sir, but we don't dare bring up the landing party. It might be duplicated like this animal."

"How long do you think it might take, Mr. Scott?" Vivian asked, petting the docile animal, wondering what sort of damage it might be, and if it was progressive. The possibilities were horrific, she knew, but she had to ask.

"Can't say, counselor."

"We can't just leave those four men down there," Captain Kirk said, frowning. "It's getting dark. They'll die. The surface temperature of that planet goes down to a hundred and twenty degrees below zero at night."

"We're doing everything we can, sir."

"Yes, I know, Scotty."

Vivian cleared her throat and moved closer to Kirk and Spock as Scott returned to the transporter control panel. In a low voice she said, "We need to make decisions about your double, Captain."

"Yes," the captain said, frowning, "er, yes, we'll have to find her. Search parties, Mr. Spock. Organize search parties."

Spock nodded and said, "We can't take a chance on killing it. We have no previous experience, no way of knowing what would happen to you."

"Yes, that's right," she said, appearing a bit flustered with all of the things to think about. "We don't know, but the men have to be armed. The men are to be armed with their phasers locked, I repeat, locked, on setting number one. There can't be any chance of her being killed. She's to be taken without – If the men are forced to fire, she can't be killed."

Vivian and Spock exchanged worried glances. Whatever was happening to the captain, it was getting worse. He said, "How shall we explain it to them, Captain? The search parties are to capture you?"

"Tell them," Kirk said, as though it were obvious.

Startled, Vivian prompted, "Tell the search parties, Captain?"

"Yes, I'll make an announcement to the entire crew, tell them what happened. It's a good crew. They deserve to know."

With another exchanged look, Spock said, "Captain, no disrespect intended, but you must surely realize you can't announce the full truth to the crew. You're the Captain of this ship. You haven't the right to be vulnerable in the eyes of the crew. You can't afford the luxury of being anything less than perfect. If you do, they lose faith, and you lose command."

Captain Kirk blinked at both Spock and Vivian, frowning as she looked at the door to the transporter room before saying, "Yes, I do know that, Mr. Spock. What I don't know is why I forgot that just now." She visibly hardened her face before saying, "Mr. Spock if you see me slipping again your orders...your orders are to tell me."

"Understood, Captain," Mr. Spock said, giving Vivian an unreadable glance before leading the way back to the Bridge.

_Captain's log, stardate 1973.1. Something has happened to me. Somehow, in being duplicated, I have lost my strength of will. Decisions are becoming more and more difficult._

Vivian stared at the screen on the Bridge, wondering at how calm the planet looked from this distance. On the surface below, the away team was possibly undergoing any number of things, but from here no one would ever know. Captain Kirk, meanwhile, was making an announcement.

"This is the Captain speaking. There's an imposter aboard the ship, a woman who looks exactly like me and is pretending to be me. This woman is dangerous. Utmost caution is to be observed. All crew members are to arm themselves. The imposter may be identified by scratches on her face. Section chiefs, assign personnel to the search. All search parties report to Mr. Spock for assignment." She paused, lifting her finger from the transmission button and frowning at Vivian and Spock, with the look of a child who knew they'd forgotten something but didn't know what. "Something?"

Vivian shifted her feet slightly and said, "Phaser weapons set to stun and locked, sir."

"Oh, yes, yes." Kirk pressed the transmission button again and continued, "All hand phasers must be set on base cycle, stunning force. The imposter is not to be injured. Use minimum force. Repeat, the imposter is not to be injured."

Mr. Spock took a moment to organize the search parties and Vivian turned back to the screen, trying to think of what they could do that would be of any use for the surface party. Mr. Spock came back, reporting that the security teams were assigned and on alert.

"The surface team will be going through psychological duress," Vivian said softly. "At the moment, Mr. Spock, can you think of something particular to do in regard to the situation?"

"No, Counselor."

"Then I suggest, Captain, that we go to the briefing room and contact the men on the surface."

Captain Kirk nodded.

"The crew would benefit," she said, leading Spock and Kirk to the room, establishing a channel with the communicators on the surface, and Captain Kirk said, "How's it going down there, Mr. Sulu?"

"It's already twenty degrees below zero. Can't exactly call it balmy."

Kirk shook her head and said, "Isn't there any way we can help them?"

Vivian tapped her fingers, recalling what Scotty had reported when they'd reached the Bridge.

"The thermal heaters Mr. Spock sent down duplicated," she said softly. "They're inoperable."

"Then we've got to get those men up," Kirk said, asking the impossible as if it were nothing.

The voice of a crewman came over the speaker and said, "Mr. Spock?"

Leaning forward, Spock pressed the transmitter button and said, "Spock here."

"Transporter Technician Wilson found injured near the Captain's cabin. He says the imposter attacked him, called him by name, took his hand phaser."

"Acknowledged," Spock said, raising his eyebrows at Vivian and Kirk. "Continue the search."

Kirk shook her head, standing, looking slightly panicked.

"We've got to find her," she said, "before she – But how?"

Spock placed his long fingers carefully on the table, straightening. "Apparently this double, however different in temperament, has your knowledge of the ship, its crew, its devices. This being the case, perhaps we can outguess her by determining her next move."

"Yes, of course," Vivian said, licking her lips and looking around at Captain Kirk. "You made an announcement, so she knows the orders. Where would you go, Captain, to escape a mass search?"

The Captain's eyes lit up and she said quickly, "The lower levels. The Engineering deck."

/-/

At the lower decks, Vivian adjusted her phaser, pushing a stray strand of blonde hair out of her face.

"Set and locked on bace cycle to stun," Spock said, "not to kill. What about your phaser, Captain?" Kirk adjusted her own phaser on this reminder, and Vivian glanced around the Engineering deck with a frown. "Don't you think we ought to get some help, Captain?"

"No," Captain Kirk said softly. "I don't want anyone else to see the-"

"Captain," Spock said firmly, "you ordered me to tell you."

"Mr. Spock," Kirk said with more force than she'd had all day, "if I'm to be the Captain, I've got to act like one."

The three of them split on Kirk's signal, and Vivian crept around a few things, with no sight of the imposter. She was beginning to wonder if they'd come to the wrong place when she turned another corner to find the imposter pointing a phaser at the real Kirk, with a hideously desperate look on her face. Vivian took a small step forward, and the imposter adjusted her hold on the phaser, presumably not set on stun. Using her crisis voice, a soft, gently lilt she'd practiced to perfection at Starfleet Academy, Vivian tried to placate the desperate Kirk.

"You can't hurt each other," she said. "Do you see? You can't. The two of you, you're parts of a whole, essential to each other. You need her."

It was impossible to know how useful her words would be, but she wasn't especially hopeful. Just then, however, she saw Spock creeping up behind the imposter, and she knew all she had to do was keep attention away from him long enough for him to be within reach.

"I don't need her," the imposter said, enraged, and Spock reached up to neck-pinch her, but the hold on the phaser was unfortunate. The phaser was pressed, and the beam just missed Vivian, hitting a panel behind her and causing a bit of the metal casing to break away, slicing into her leg badly. Vivian gave a strangled scream of pain, sliding to the ground, pressing her hand against the wound to try to stop the bleeding.

"Sickbay," she gasped. "I need..."

"Breathe," Spock said, and Vivian nodded, focusing on applying pressure to her leg and breathing steadily as Spock handed the weight of the imposter to the real Captain Kirk. Spock pocketed the phasers and carefully lifted Vivian into his arms.

"I'm bleeding all over you," she gasped through gritted teeth.

"Breathe," he repeated. "And keep that wound covered."

Vivian applied as much pressure as she could, leaning her head against Spock's shoulder as she felt her brain going fuzzy and her vision blurring. She was only barely aware she'd arrived at Sickbay when she felt her body being put on a cot.

"Nurse," she heard McCoy saying, and she could hear part of her uniform being torn away as the wound was being taken care of. "Vivian," McCoy's voice said, near her ear, she thought. "Vivian, relax as much as you can."

The words barely registered in her brain, so she could not comply with them. Thankfully, she was already fairly relaxed as he stuck the hypodermic needle in her and gave her a dosage of local anesthesia.

"What are you doing?" she gasped, feeling her brain still light and fuzzy, but her vision returning.

"The pain was cut off," Spock said, sitting beside her, drawing her attention to him and away from what was happening on her leg. "Do you feel better?"

"I..."

His eyes looked darker when her brain felt like this. Before she could work out the order of the words to tell him, another hypo was being inserted into her leg and she could feel feeling returned.

"All patched up," McCoy said. "Excuse me, I'm going to see to my other patient."

Vivian accepted Spock's help in sitting up, looking down at her carefully sutured wound. She knew that Bones didn't like using such methods, so it must have been a very deep wound.

"Blood flow is fine," Christine Chapel said gently. "You'll make a fully recovery. But try not to do any running for about a week."

"I'll keep that in mind," Vivian muttered, grateful for the first time that she wore stockings and a skirt, not pants. Pants torn off around the wound would have been much more conspicuous.

When she felt well enough, Spock helped Vivian to her feet and they walked to the cot that held the imposter, where the Captain was staring herself in the face. McCoy looked up and frowned, but Vivian waved her hand impatiently.

"What's the status, Doctor?" she demanded.

"She'll be regaining consciousness soon, and not knowing what her physical state is, I don't think I dare give her a tranquilizer of any kind. I think we'd better bind her."

"Yes, yes, alright," Kirk said, frowning at her own lack of ability to make such decisions. "What's the matter with me?"

Spock said, "Judging from the observations the Counselor and I have made, Captain, you're rapidly losing the power of decision."

"You have a point, Mr. Spock?" McCoy asked coldly.

Vivian grasped the edge of the cot to steady herself and said, "He does, and an important one." Pain was returning in her leg, but it was manageable if she focused her breathing. "This is an incredible opportunity for psychology. We're seeing the embodiment of two sides to Captain Kirk. A positive side; compassion, love, tenderness. And a negative side; hostility, lust, violence."

McCoy shook his head and took a step back, outraged. He said, "It's the Captain's gust you two are analyzing. Are you aware of that, Vivian?"

Of course, he expected cold, logical observation from Spock, but he seemed to hope that Vivian, being another medical professional, would have more natural compassion. And she did, but she used it only when she had to. Being compassionate all of the time, she found, was mentally and emotionally exhausting.

"We are," Mr. Spock said, moving a chair so that Vivian could sit in it and rest her leg. "And what is it that makes one person an exceptional leader? We see indications that it's her negative side which makes her strong, that her evil side, if you will, properly controlled and disciplined, is vital to her strength. Your negative side is removed from you, the power of command begins to elude you."

"What's your point, Mr. Spock?"

Vivian rubbed her thigh to stimulate more blood flow, thinking that perhaps this was causing her pain. She licked her lips as Spock continued, "If your power of command continues to weaken, you'll soon be unable to function as Captain. You must be prepared for that."

McCoy wasn't satisfied with this and said, "You have your intellect, Jamie. You can fight with that?"

Vivian looked up at McCoy and shook her head, frowning.

"For how long, Doctor? The human psyche is not meant to be separated."

McCoy was looking at her like he'd never quite seen her before, but she looked back down at the imposter, wishing that she had more time to examine the situation, that they didn't have such an emergency on their hands.

"If I seem insensitive to what you're going through, Captain," Spock said to Kirk, "understand it's the way I am."

Before Kirk could even weigh all of this debate, much less make a response, the voice of Scott came through on the intercom.

"Captain Kirk."

Kirk, eager for something to distract her attention, said, "Kirk Here."

"Mr. Scott, sir, on the lower level of the Engineering deck. I've found a new trouble with the transporter. The casing has a wide gap ripped in it. The main circuits have been burned through. The abort circuit is gone altogether."

Vivian had just enough time to recognize that this was related to her injury and to realize they were heading for the Transporter room, standing, before she promptly fainted.

/-/

McCoy gave Vivian an extra blood transfusion and did a few extra checks before reviving her and giving her a second clean bill of health. Vivian and Spock actually had a small argument over whether she ought to leave Sickbay, but she convinced him to allow her to take Captain Kirk to the briefing room, close enough to Sickbay that she could be carried back in an emergency.

She took some time waiting for Spock to report back on the transporter repair giving Sulu a pep talk and asking him about how things were on the surface.

"Thank you, Counselor," he said while Kirk paced. "Can you give us a status report? Temperature's still dropping. Now forty-one degrees below zero."

"We've found something to fix, Sulu," she said, using her gentle voice, trying to ignore the pain returning in her leg. "We should be able to bring you up when we've fixed it."

"Do you think you might be able to find a long rope somewhere and lower us down a pot of hot coffee?"

Vivian took a deep breath to keep her pain under control, and Kirk sat down, taking over the conversation when she saw Vivian's grimace.

"I'll see what we can do," she said.

"Rice wine will do, if you're short on coffee," Sulu said.

Vivian licked her lips and exchanged pained looks with Captain Kirk, but for different reasons. Kirk flipped a switch on the comm panel and said, "Engineering, Kirk here."

"Scott here, Captain."

Vivian leaned forward, saying, "Do you have another status report, Scotty?"

"The transporter unit ionizer. Nothing much left of it, Counselor."

She sighed, putting her head in her hands, wondering if there was anything they could manage in light of this news.

"How bad is it?" Captain Kirk asked. But Vivian already knew the answer. Still, Scott answered.

"We can't repair it in less than a week."

_Captain's Log, stardate 1673.5. Transporter still inoperable. My negative self is under restraint in Sickbay. My own indecisiveness is growing. My source of will steadily weakening. Counselor Buckingham's physical condition variable after her injury. On the planet, condition critical. Surface temperature is seventy-five degrees below zero, still dropping._

"Enterprise, this is Sulu."

Vivian sat up abruptly, feeling her head going fuzzy instantly as she pressed the transmission button and said, "I have the Captain here for you, Mr. Sulu."

"Hotline direct to the Captain. Are we that far gone?"

With her state of mind, Vivian was having a hard time thinking of ways to manage humor, but the Captain hadn't lost her sense of it.

"I gave everybody the afternoon off," she said with a sad smile. "The Counselor and I are watching the store. How is it down there?"

"Oh, lovely, except that the frost is building up. We're using hand phasers to heat the rocks. One phaser quit on us, three still operating. Any possibilities of getting us back aboard before the skiing season opens down here?"

Spock must have entered while Vivian had been napping, because he had stepped forward and was saying, "This is Spock, Mr. Sulu. You'll have to hold on a little longer. There is no other way. Survival procedures, Mr. Sulu."

Vivian wondered if Spock was a hallucination from her blood loss, but she decided he was real when Sulu said, "Per your training program, Mr. Spock."

Kirk returned to pacing and Vivian was about to rest her head again when Spock pulled out a portable medical scanner Bones must have loaned him, and he scanned her leg.

"No internal bleeding," he said. "You need another transfusion."

"I'm fine," Vivian lied.

"Counselor, I have enough knowledge of the medical sciences-"

"McCoy to Captain Kirk."

Vivian waved Spock away as Kirk answered.

"Your double is waking up. You'd better get back to Sickbay."

"Counselor Buckingham is in need of another transfusion as well," Spock said, raising his eyebrows as she made a noise of protest. "They will be arriving together shortly."

Vivian had to allow the Captain to support her weight on the way to Sickbay, where she received her transfusion while the imposter screamed in pain. At least, she told herself, she didn't feel like that.

"This should be the last one, Counselor," Christine said, smiling at her sympathetically. "Your body is already working very hard to heal itself. Do you feel better?"

Waving her off and nodding, Vivian turned to listen as Kirk asked, "She's not dying?"

At first, she thought the Captain was referring to her, but then Vivian realized the duplicate was dying.

"Yes," McCoy said. "She is."

"Help me," the duplicate gasped, and Vivian managed to pull herself out of bed in spite of Christine's protests and she sat beside her, working on calming the duplicate, but to little avail.

"How can she die?" Captain Kirk demanded. "Can I survive without her?"

"I'm not sure you can," Vivian said, feeling some of her mental sharpness returning. "Jamie, talk to her. She's terrified!"

At this, Captain Kirk sat beside herself, taking her own hand and saying, "Don't be afraid. Here's my hand. Hold on. You don't have to be afraid. I won't let go. Hold on. You won't be afraid if you use your mind and think! Thank! You can do it." The duplicate began to calm. "That's it!"

"Jamie, she's back!" McCoy said as the readings leveled. The duplicate, spent from all the excitement, quickly fell asleep, and McCoy shook his head, saying, "Jamie, you can use that brandy now. In fact, I'll join you."

They crossed for some brandy, and Vivian just watched them, not wanting to push herself this time.

"I have to take her back inside myself," Kirk said slowly. "I can't survive without her." She looked upset. "I don't want her back. She's like an animal, a thoughtless, brutal animal, and yet it's me. Me."

"Jamie, you're no different from anyone else," McCoy reasoned. "We all have our darker side. We need it! It's half of what we are. It's not really ugly, it's human."

"Human," Kirk echoed, disbelieving.

Vivian shook her head.

"Not complete humanity," she said softly, "obviously. But she is a large part of who you are, and Spock is right, I think. Without her, you wouldn't be the Captain. She is your instinctive, decisive command strength."

"What do I have?" Kirk asked, slightly despairing.

"You have the goodness," McCoy offered.

Kirk shook her head and said, "Not enough. I have a ship to command."

"The intelligence, the logic," McCoy continued. "It appears your half has most of that, and perhaps that's where man's essential courage comes from. For you see, she was afraid and you weren't."

They all looked over at the sleeping duplicate, and considered this fact when Spock's voice could be heard on the intercom.

"Counselor Buckingham."

Vivian hobbled to the comm panel and said, "Buckingham here."

"Spock here. Please bring the Captain to the transporter room if you've been cleared by the Doctor. We think we may have found an answer."

"She is," Kirk said. "We're coming."

/-/

In the time they spent in the Sickbay, it seemed to Spock that Captain Kirk had grown a bit pale and Counselor Buckingham was regaining a bit of her color. She finally seemed to be recovering, but the Captain was only weakening. If this was the answer, it was coming none too soon.

"What is it?" Kirk asked as Vivian Buckingham limped forward. Doctor McCoy looked like he wanted to help her, but she brushed him off.

"We've found a way to get the transporter working, sir," Mr. Scott said, bringing in the duplicate version of the animal.

"We've attached some bypass and leader circuits to compensate for the difference," Spock explained, as both women were looking at him, puzzled. "Tied directly into the impulse engines, there shouldn't be more than a five point variation in the velocity balance. I suggest we send the animal through." There was no response, and Vivian Buckingham was crossing to the animal. "Captain," Spock prompted.

"Yes, yes," she replied. "Go ahead."

Buckingham opened the case and the animal began to bark angrily up at them. Spock bent over the case with Vivian Buckingham and he could certainly see from this close that she was nearly fully recovered, although she was treating her injured leg gingerly. She brushed a bit of hair out of her face and sucked in a quick breath.

"I'll hold him, Spock," she said in her gentle voice that she used with patients and people in distress. "You sedate him."

"Don't hurt him," the Captain said suddenly, with obvious distress.

Spock looked up nodding and saying, "It's painless and quick. The animal will be unconscious for only a few minutes." He stayed at the ready while the Counselor reached in, carefully grabbing the animal by the scruff of its neck and giving Spock a short by reasonable angle for injecting it with the tranquilizer.

"If this doesn't work," Scott said as Counselor Buckingham carried the animal to the transporter, "I don't know what will."

The Counselor stood back, getting out of range before saying, "Energize." She licked her lips and brushed her hair back once more before saying, "Reverse, please."

Scott reversed and Counselor Buckingham took a stumbling step backwards when the animal rematerialized, in one version but obviously not conscious. Spock steadied her on her feet as Doctor McCoy rushed forward to see to the animal.

"The shock of putting him back together seems to have been too much for him," Spock said, stepping away from the counselor when he was certain she was steady.

McCoy looked up, looking dismayed as he said, "He's dead, Jamie."

_Captain's Log, stardate 1673.1. Entry made by First Officer Spock. Captain Kirk retains command of this vessel, but her force of will rapidly fading. Counselor Buckingham is recovered except for occasional pain. Condition of the landing party critical. Transporter unit still under repair._

Counselor Buckingham passed the animal off to a doctor as Doctor McCoy ordered, "Autopsy, in-depth. Hurry." He turned back to Spock, Buckingham, and Kirk, who were expecting some answers. "I don't know. Animal could have died of some kind of shock."

"For once, I agree with you," Spock said levelly.

"It's just a theory, Mr. Spock," Counselor Buckingham said, preparing a painkiller for herself. She injected it directly into her own leg and said, "We need to examine the body and the brain."

Spock raised his eyebrows at her reaction, when he knew that she must see what had happened. An autopsy would be necessary for the reports, but not to know what to do.

"No autopsy is necessary to know that the animal was terrified," he countered, "confused. It was split into two halves and suddenly thrust back together again. Thus shock induced by blind terror."

Vivian Buckingham pursed her lips, but Captain Kirk nodded and said, "Yes, yes, that sounds likely."

"It couldn't understand," Spock continued. "You can. You have your intelligence controlling your fear."

Kirk nodded, decisiveness briefly flashing on her face as she said, "get the transporter room ready."

"Could be," McCoy cut in, "if, maybe. All guesswork so far. Just theory. Jamie, why don't you give me a chance to do an autopsy and let Spock check the transporter circuits again."

"Or at least let me do a brain scan," Buckingham said, pulling herself to her feet once more, testing out her leg, presumably to ensure it wasn't going numb.

Captain Kirk hesitated and said, "That sounds...sounds reasonable. We should double-check everything."

Spock raised his eyebrows and said, "Aren't you forgetting something, Captain?"

She frowned, thinking, shaking her head and saying, "No, I don't think I've for-"

"Your men on the planet surface. How much time do they have left?"

The Captain had a look of despair as she took in this fact once more and she said softly, "Yes, that's right. The men. We have to take the chance, Bones. Their lives-"

Vivian Buckingham cut in, however, and said, "Forgive me, Captain, but if it wasn't shock and the same thing happens to you, they'll die anyway. This theory-"

"Being split in two halves is no theory with me, Counselor," Spock said. He was momentarily grateful she didn't have a note-taking method available to her, bu the knew that her fascination would cut off her arguments long enough for him to make his point. "I have a human half, you see, as well as an alien half, submerged, constantly at war with each other. Personal experience, Counselor. I survive ti because my intelligence wins over both, makes them live together." It was momentarily fascinating, the way her eyes changed when he talked about his personal experience, the unique situation of his heritage. Perhaps she would have been less fascinated if she had to live with such a thing. But he tore his attention away from how wide her golden-brown eyes had become and turned to the Captain. "Your intelligence would enable you to survive as well."

Instead of things being clarified, Kirk seemed more distressed than ever, turning away from all three of them almost in despair and she said, "Help me. Somebody make the decision."

Buckingham, Spock, and McCoy exchanged surprised, anxious looks and Spock took a step forward, saying, "Are you relinquishing your command, Captain?"

"No," she said anxiously. "No, I'm not."

"Well then, we can't help you, Jamie," McCoy said, voice full of pity. "The decision is yours."

Counselor Buckingham adopted her voice for patients once more and said, "You still have the capacity, Captain. Use your intellect, remember?"

Kirk took a deep breath, still facing away from them, and she said, "Mr. Spock, ready the transporter room. Bones, Vivian, continue the autopsy."

Before they could react, the intercom sounded and a crewman said, "Captain Kirk, I have a tie-in with Sulu now."

"Kirk Here."

Sulu's voice came through the intercom and Spock watched the Counselor's face tighten and twist as he related the situation on the ground:

"Captain K-Kirk, Sulu here. One hundred seventeen below. Can't last much longer. Can't see clearly, Doctor, to read top indicator. Think the cold penetrating communicator. Two men unconscious. No time. No. Can't wait. No time."

The transmission ended and Vivian Buckingham's hands began to quiver slightly, but she didn't seem to notice. Kirk had not turned around, and she began to mutter, "Mr. Sulu. Mr. Sulu. Can't wait. Can't let them die."

With one last exchanged glance, Spock and Buckingham went their separate ways to do whatever they could to speed up the task.

/-/

Vivian took off her gloves and pulled her hair out of her eyes once more.

"It's good and bad, but at least we know it can be done," she said, limping just behind McCoy as they returned to Sickbay. "The Captain will-"

Her voice broke off as she saw the prone form of Captain Kirk on the ground, and only one Kirk present.

"Which one is it?" she demanded.

"The real one," McCoy said after a quick scan. He woke up the Captain and they pulled her to her feet.

"She's afraid," the Captain said fuzzily. "She doesn't want to rejoin. She doesn't understand..."

"Where would you go?" Vivian asked.

McCoy did a quick scan while the Captain regained her bearings. She decided it would have to be the Bridge, and the three of them hurried to the Bridge as quickly as possible, the tension in the air unbearable. Would Spock know that it wasn't the right Captain? Would the crew understand?

As soon as they stepped onto the Bridge, the duplicate jumped to her feet, pointed at the Captain and said, "Grab her, she's the imposter!"

"No, belay that," Vivian said, stepping forward. She wasn't entirely certain she had more authority than half of the Captain, but she was taking advantage of the confusion of the situation and the fact that she was one of the few people who actually knew what was happening to keep tension as diffused as possible.

"Buckingham, she's fooled you," the duplicate said, but Vivian shook her head.

McCoy pointed at the duplicate and said, "She attacked her."

The duplicate, in desperation, turned to Spock, who was watching, obviously running through what to do. There was a right and a wrong way to handle any situation, especially when he didn't have command. Vivian could feel her breath tighten as the duplicate said, "Mr. Spock, you know who I am. You know what this is."

Vivian could tell from a slight twitch of Spock's eyebrows that if he'd had any doubt on which one was the Captain, he did no longer. From the earliest part of the situation, Captain Kirk had only ever referred to her duplicate with personal pronouns denoting a person.

Farrell looked between the two, utterly baffled.

"Mr. Spock, which one?" he demanded. "What do we do?"

Spock said, "We'll let the Captain handle this."

Vivian, confused and a bit anxious said, "Mr. Spock-" But he cut her off by raising his hand, and she turned looked at the duplicate, who was beginning to truly panic.

"I'm the captain," she said. "Isn't that obvious? Look at her face. Remember the scratches? Look how she's tried to hide them. She wants you to think that she's Captain Kirk. You know who I am."

"Yes, I know," the Captain said, taking a step forward, remarkably calm.

"You want to kill me, don't you? Farrell, James, grab her. She'll destroy the ship! I'm the Captain." But neither of them moved. "Don't you understand? I'm the captain of the ship!" She began attacking the crew, starting with Vivian, diving for the already weakened counselor, but Spock pulled her quickly out of the way, leaving Farrell and James in the line of fire. Vivian, shaken by the excitement, gripped onto Spock's arm and watched for a moment as Spock helped her into a nearby chair. "I'm the captain!" the duplicate continued to shriek. "This is my ship! My ship! It's mine! I'll kill you!"

The Captain was still remarkably calm as she said, "Can half a man live?"

With another phaser pointing at her, Vivian thought McCoy must have been right – the good half must have been where courage came from, the side with intellect and calm.

"Take another step, you'll die."

"Don't-" Vivian said, rushing to her feet, hoping to restrain the duplicate, to do something, but Spock held her back, perhaps recalling the events of her earlier injury and not wanting a second accidental fire. Either that, or he knew what the Captain seemed to realize, that the claims were empty bravado. She continued to step toward her frantic self.

"Please," the duplicate said desperately. "I don't want to. Don't make me. Don't make me." The Captain took her phaser and Vivian relaxed. Spock let go, satisfied she wouldn't interfere. "I don't want to go back. Please! I want to live!"

"You will," Kirk said softly. "Both of us."

The logic wasn't working, however, as the duplicate shrieked, "I want to live!"

/-/

The sedated duplicate was pushed against the weight of Captain Kirk, who stood on the transporter platform, looking uneasy. Mr. Spock held the weight with one hand and said, "You'll have to hold on to her, Captain."

As he stepped away, safely moving to the panel, Vivian watched the Captain wrap her arm around her duplicate self.

"Mr. Spock," the Captain said, nervously. "Counselor."

"Sir?" Vivian asked, gripping the corner of the transporter panel as her leg pain flared up.

"If this doesn't work," Kirk said, a small glimmer of fear in her eyes.

"Understood, Captain," Mr. Spock said calmly.

"Mr. Spock," Captain Kirk replied, straightening herself, composing herself, holding tightly to the duplicate.

"Ready," Spock replied, energizing the transporter, beaming them out. Vivian waited impatiently, and Doctor McCoy finally couldn't take the suspense.

"Well, Mr. Spock?" he demanded, and Spock energized the reversal, leaving one Captain Kirk standing where two had vanished.

In a small, meager imitation of her own work voice, Vivian said, "Jamie?"

Consciousness was a good sign, but that was no guarantee it had worked entirely as they hoped.

However it seemed to, because the Captain stepped off the platform swiftly and said in her usual, decisive voice, "Get those men aboard, fast."

"Right away, Captain," Spock said, setting to work.

The party were brought on quickly, and given basic examinations by both Doctor McCoy and Vivian as they arrived. For her part, there was minor shock, but that would fade with time. No significant psychological trauma. As the party was wheeled away, after she'd finished her report, Doctor McCoy came to make his report.

"Severe exposure and frostbite," he said, "but I think they'll make it. How do you feel, Jamie?"

Captain Kirk, instead of smiling or saying anything about her physical state said, "How?" She looked over at the transporter platform with a troubled frown. "I've seen a part of myself no woman should see."

/-/

On the Bridge, Vivian settled down to a bit of time monitoring communications for the rest of the day, as the chaos had not allowed her to serve her Bridge time as planned earlier. She'd just put on her earpiece when Farrell announced, "Status report green," to the returning captain.

"All sections report ready, sir," Spock said.

"Good," Kirk said, sitting down in her chair. "Thank you, Mr. Spock, Counselor Buckingham." She paused. "From both of us."

Vivian raised her eyebrows, smiling.

"Should that be passed to the crew, sir?" she asked.

Kirk shook her head and replied, "The imposter's back where she belongs. Let's forget her."

Surprisingly, Yeoman Rand entered, and she said, "Captain?" Startled, the Captain turned. "The imposter told me what happened, who she really was, and I'd just like to say that. Well, sir, what I'd like to say is-"

"Thank you, Yeoman," Captain Kirk said quickly. Vivian made a mental note to call Janice Rand in for a few sessions as soon as she had the space in her schedule, maybe even juggle a few things around.

Spock, however, seemed to want to make some comments right away and said, "The, er imposter had some interesting qualities, wouldn't you say, Yeoman?"

Janice made no answer, merely blinking up at Spock, obviously not sure what to make of this remark as Captain Kirk cleared her throat.

"This is the Captain speaking," she said, fully and confidently. "Navigator, set in course correction. Helmsman, steady as she goes."


	4. Miri

Vivian tapped her fingers anxiously on the back of Spock's chair, looking over his shoulder, no longer waiting for him to find a pause in his work so he could give her his report on one of her patients who was about to transfer to Engineering. They had to get the reports in order before Mr. Scott could take him on, but Spock had been uncharacteristically slow to respond, so she'd come up to the Bridge to see what was holding him up.

As it happened, it was a strange distress signal, something none of them had expected to hear so far out into space, and she was too intrigued to leave once she knew the trouble, so she adjusted her hair with one hand and tapping Mr. Spock's chair with the other, watching his sensor screens.

"Earth-style distress signal," Captain Kirk said, confused. "SOS."

Farrell, who was manning communications from the navigator's chair said, "I've answered it on all frequencies, sir. They don't reply."

"Not a vessel, Captain," Vivian said anxiously, "a planet. From Spock's readings, third from this sun."

"Directly ahead," Farrell said, checking his own screens. "Definitely an Earth-style signal."

Kirk shook her head and looked around at them, puzzled and slightly agitated as Vivian felt, the familiar agitation that came from a situation one couldn't understand.

"We're hundreds of light years from Earth, Mr. Spock. No colonies or vessels out this far."

"Measuring the planet now, Captain," Spock said, ignoring Vivian as she leaned closer over his shoulder for a better look. "It's spheroid-shaped, circumference twenty-four thousand eight hundred seventy-four miles. Mass six times ten to the twenty-first power tons. Mean density five point five one seven. Atmosphere oxygen, nitrogen."

"Earth!" cried Yeoman Janice Rand, stunned from her perch by the Captain's chair. She had been picking up the most recent log entries for catalog when the signal had come in and she, like Vivian, hadn't found a reason to leave once she heard the signal. Few people had the fortitude to walk away from an unsolved puzzle.

Kirk shook her head and said, "Not the Earth, another Earth." She frowned and looked at Vivian, who had turned to frown back at her. "Another Earth?"

_Captain's Log, stardate 2713.5. In the distant reaches of our galaxy, we have made an astonishing discovery. Earth-type radio signals coming from a planet which apparently is an exact duplicate of Earth. It seems impossible, but there it is._

Vivian swept hair out of her face as she sat at the helm, making the necessary adjustments as they closed in on the planet. She didn't like the helm, much preferred navigation if she needed to do either, but she had been trained in all the bridge equipment in order to be an effective tactical officer.

"Hold us in a fixed orbit, Counselor," Kirk said, watching the planet on screen.

"Acknowledged, Captain."

The controls had been designed to be simple enough to handle quickly with the proper training, and Vivian's muscle memory kicked in, fixing a standard orbit while the Captain said, "Still no response to communications?"

"None, Captain," Farrell said, continuing to check all available channels.

"We'll beam down," Kirk said, motioning to Mr. Spock and Vivian to follow her. "Alert Security. Prepare to transport landing part to surface. We'll land in the vicinity of the distress signals now being received."

/-/

The landing party consisted of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Doctor McCoy, Yeoman Rand, a security officer, and Vivian. When they beamed down to the planet, the first thing Vivian noticed was that the whole city they had landed in looked abandoned, decaying. Still, there was an eerie familiarity to it, and before her thoughts could name the feeling, Captain Kirk expressed it.

"Identical. Earth, as it was in the early 1900s."

"More the, er, mid-1900s, I would say, Captain," Mr. Spock corrected, using his tricorder to scan the area. "Approximately 1960."

Vivian pulled out a tricorder of her own and began to scan for signs of life, but the eerie emptiness was broken again by Janice Rand saying, "Where is everybody?"

Mr. Spock said, "Readings indicate that natural deterioration has been taking place on this planet for at least several centuries."

"You mean there's no one alive?" Janice asked, horrified.

"We can't be certain, Yeoman," Vivian said gently, knowing that every person had their breaking point, something that made them lose their heads. Even officers had weaknesses, but theirs were documented, part of personnel files and carefully watched by superiors. The weaknesses of enlisted men usually came out by encounter with those weaknesses, and that could lead to disaster. "Disasters could have forced survivors to flee the city, go underground or to some different location. But the signal is probably automated."

"Now, this is marvelous," McCoy said, strolling a little way down the street, gazing around at the buildings lining the path. "The most horrible conglomeration of antique architecture I've ever seen."

Captain Kirk laughed and bent down by a pile of trash, a child's broken tricycle on the top of the stack.

"Mr. Spock," she said, motioning him closer.

As Vivian moved closer, a horribly transfigured creature rushed forward, screaming, "Mine! Mine!" When it reached them, it began to attack Doctor McCoy, who had only just touched the tricycle. "Mine! Mine! Mine!" He continued to scream as Vivian and Kirk dragged him off the doctor, and Vivian held the creature as best she could while the Captain hit him several times. When he'd calmed from his initial panic the creature said pathetically, "It's, it's broke. Somebody broke it. Fix. Somebody, please fix."

He was going limp, and Vivian helped him to the ground, pulling out a portable mental scanner she'd brought along. It wasn't especially sophisticated compared with her tools on the ship, but it was especially good for diagnosing causes of trauma.

"Of course somebody will fix it," McCoy said, his hands slowly going to his own medical equipment a she started the scanner.

Spock was quicker, however, and the tricorder had already been scanning.

"Definitely humanoid, in spite of the distortion," he reported softly.

"But the mental maturity of a child," Vivian said softly, frowning at her own scanner, "although brain scans revealing no biological reason for such a delay. The brain development is a stunted teenage brain." Just then, the humanoid began to thrash, and McCoy rushed to action. "What is it, Bones?" she asked, seeing an abnormal spike in a part of the brain that didn't make any sense.

"A seizure of some type," Bone said, preparing a hypodermic needle while Captain Kirk knelt down.

She touched the molted, purple skin of the humanoid and said, "We want to help you."

"Liar!" the thing shrieked, still thrashing. "Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never!"

Vivian held down the arms while McCoy moved in with the hypo, but before he could give the creature a shot, the body went limp, and McCoy dropped the needle, taking a pulse.

"It's dead," he said, quickly scanning the body. "It's incredible."

"What is?" Kirk demanded.

McCoy looked up, then back down at his scanner, shaking his head. "It's metabolic rate. It's impossibly high, as if it's burning itself up, almost as if it aged a century in just the past few minutes."

Just then, Vivian started at the sound of footsteps running away down an alley, into a building.

"This way!" she said, scrambling to her feet, phaser in hand, leading the charge toward the building. When they entered, Spock began taking tricorder readings.

"How old is this thing?" Kirk asked as they looked around for the source of the sound, some other living thing.

Spock looked at his tricorder and said, "About three hundred years old."

Vivian opened her mouth to ask exactly how much decay it had undergone, but a small shuffling sound came from the closet and she held her phaser on stun, ready to fire as the Captain approached the closet, carefully creeping forward.

"Come out," she said. "We mean you no harm."

But nothing came forward, and the Captain carefully opened the door with a squeak.

Inside was a girl, young, perhaps early adolescence. She had soft brown hair and a gentle, frightened face.

"Don't hurt me, please," she said, shrinking away from the Captain.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Kirk said, moving forward, but the girl continued to shrink away.

"No, please, don't. I didn't do anything."

Vivian put away her phaser, taking out her mental scanner. Those were the words of an irrational victim of trauma if she knew anything at all.

"No one's going to hurt you, sweetie," she said in her work voice, the gentle tones for patients.

"No, please, don't," she said as Vivian came forward as well, shying away from both Captain Kirk and Vivian. With a hand motion, Vivian signaled the rest of the party to stay back, and Spock actually took a step backward.

"I won't hurt you," Kirk said.

"Don't hurt me," the girl said, shrinking further back into the closet, but there was nowhere left to go, her back completely against the wall.

"Come on, it's all right," Kirk said gently. "Come one."

Janice, who had been the next closest, said softly, "We wont' hurt you, sweetheart. We're your friends." The girl, in an obvious moment of panic, tried to push through, but Janice caught her, soothing her. "No, shh."

Vivian pulled out some tablets that might help if the girl was in some kind of shock, but before she could do checks, the Captain turned to her and said, "Take the guard and Mr. Spock, Counselor, have a look outside. Radioactive readings, chemical pollution, any further sign of life. No, don't look at me like that, there may be further traumatized survivors. We've got more shock pills in McCoy's kit."

Vivian took one last look at the girl while shoving the pills into her kit once more and saying, "Yes, sir."

She led Spock and the guard out into the street once more, down an alleyway. Her phaser was in hand once more. The girl had been frightened, but the boy had been violent and frantic. Should they encounter more of his sort they couldn't waste time fighting.

Nothing of note came down the first alley, and Spock led the way to the second, where he turned to Vivian and the Security guard and said, "Cover me."

The three of them had started slowly down the alley when a strangely familiar sound came from all around them.

"Nyah nan nyah." Stones began to fall on them from above, the roofs or the windows, Vivian wasn't exposing her face long enough to determine which. She covered her head as they fell, and the chanting continued. Spock pulled her to cover under a metal staircase, and the guard followed them underneath.

"What do you think that was?" the guard asked, phaser still at the ready.

"Children," Vivian said, rubbing a spot on her temple where a thankfully small rock had grazed her. "That taunting…. More children. Lots from the number of stones, but…. Well, what do we do, Spock?"

"We won't find them," he said, his face impassive. "They know this place well. We did not see them because they did not wish us to see them. We must report to the Captain and see if they have calmed the girl."

Vivian sighed, still rubbing her face and looking around. The pelting had stopped, and she had to agree with Spock. They hurried back to the house in case of more rocks waiting for them, and Spock made their report.

"Children, Captain," he said. "Lots of them. We couldn't begin to get close to them. They just seemed to scurry away, like animals. Only children."

Kirk nodded, her thinking frown on.

"Miri said all the adults died," she said softly.

McCoy shook his head and said, "That creature which attacked us was certainly no child. Perhaps it died of the disease the girl's talking about."

Vivian nodded, wishing she knew a little more about this disease, but she was fairly certain whatever it was had caused the disgusting disfiguring of the boy's skin.

"There must be records somewhere," Kirk said, "and answers to some of our questions." She turned back to the girl. "Miri, do you know any buildings where the doctors used to work?"

The girl, who had calmed significantly and seemed almost sweet, like a timid fawn, smiled and said, "Yes, I know that. Them and their pills and things."

Vivian, stepping a little closer, prompted in her work voice, "Could you bring us there?"

"That's a bad place," Miri insisted.

"It's important," Kirk said. "Please."

The girl weighed her fear of the hospital with the bond she seemed to be developing with the Captain and finally nodded.

"Alright," she said. "Do you have a name, too?"

Vivian felt the corners of her lips twitching into a smile as the Captain said, "Yes. It's Jamie."

"I like that name."

"Good. I like yours too. I like you."

"Do you really?"

How long had this girl been on her own, that she seemed so pleased that someone had taken an interest in her? Kirk, however, took the situation in stride.

"I wouldn't lie to you."

"I wouldn't lie to you either, Jamie," Miri said happily. "I remember the Grups, but you're nice. You're different."

The way she talked about remembering said something discordant to Vivian, but she couldn't put her finger on what.

"Why, thank you," Kirk said, and before the sight of it had fully registered, a response was already beginning to a mark that had formed on the Captain's hand. Vivian saw it too, purple and bubbled up, like the marks that had covered the boy who died in the street.

"It's already starting," Miri said, distressed. "I knew it would. Just like it did with the Grups. It'll spread all over you, and you'll yell, and you'll try to hurt everybody and then you'll die. I knew it would! I knew it would!"

_Captain's Log, stardate 2713.6. The building Miri led us to also housed an automatic transmission station, which sent out the signal that drew us to this planet. We also discovered something else. That the blue blotches, characteristic of the unknown disease had appeared on each of us with the exception of Mr. Spock. Counselor Buckingham has worked with Miri to create a profile of the stages of the disease, four our own use and to help us when searching records. There was a well-equipped laboratory in the building. Doctor McCoy took tissue samples of each of us in an attempt to isolate the organism responsible._

Vivian and Spock sat at a table, flipping through old hospital records and laboratory notes, searching for some signs of the disease. In the chaos that had led to the distress signal, things had not been filed properly, many possibly relevant records were in disarray, and everyone was a bit on edge trying to sift through using the information they had already compiled, desperate to find more, enough to help them survive.

"Can you see anything, Bones?" Vivian asked, not looking up from the file she was reading. Doctor McCoy was using an old-style microscope to look at the samples he had taken, but they'd only seen the equipment in museums and textbooks on the history of medicine. The learning curve had been a bit steeper than they'd expected. They'd only just figured it out.

"A veritable zoo of bacteria," he said. He picked up his communicator and addressed the ship for the third time that hour. "Beam down a biocomputer and a portable electronic microscope. If I'm dealing with viruses, I'll need better equipment than I have here."

Vivian could hear Farrell's voice saying, "Yes, Doctor. Captain Kirk?"

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"I've got volunteers standing by ready to help you, sir."

Vivian shook her head, but didn't bother looking up. The Captain knew well enough what a bad idea it was for people to join them, volunteers or not.

"Under no circumstances do I want anyone to beam down from the ship. We can't take any chances with further contamination."

"But Captain, if you become too ill to-"

"My orders still stand, Lieutenant. You can help us best by clearing the computer banks and standing by. Kirk out." Vivian heard the communicator screen flipping shut and glanced up to see Captain Kirk pacing slightly anxiously. "Bones," she said, "why do you think the symptoms haven't appeared in Mr. Spock?"

Bones's face twisted slightly, and to avoid a confrontation when nerves were already starting to get chaffed, she said, "Thousands of possibilities, Captain, none of which can be determined with this sort of equipment."

But McCoy couldn't be satisfied with this response, adding, "Probably the little bugs or whatever they are have no appetite for green blood."

Vivian bit her tongue slightly and Spock raised his slanted eyebrows, the gesture she had come to recognize as a sign that they were about to cross wits. And that McCoy was about to lose.

"Being a red-blooded human obviously as its disadvantages," Spock said in a measured voice. "Now, there you have a museum piece, Doctor." He nodded at the microscope. "Lens type, manually operated, light activated-"

"Spare me the analysis, Mr. Spock, please," McCoy snarled. "It is enough that it works."

McCoy raised his arm, where it could clearly be seen that a second outbreak of the rash or whatever it was had shown up on his skin. Vivian's fingers tightened around the file she was holding and the room held its breath as McCoy paused, staring at the spot. Miri, though, held no social qualms with pointing out the painful truth they were presented with.

She said, "It spreads real fast. I know. When you're old, it covers you like anything."

Quickly, Vivian scribbled down a note on the words about age. Perhaps there was a correlation. If so, she would probably be the last human to suffer the consequences to the full extent, and she might have enough time working with Spock to save the others from a terrible death.

Captain Kirk flipped through the notes she had been reading and stopped pacing suddenly, leaning over a nearby table, reading out loud, "Intermediate experimentation progress report on life prolongation."

Spock, turning to a file he had seen in his stack and hadn't yet begun to read then read aloud from the label, "Progress report, genetics section, Life Prolongation Project."

"So that's what it was," Janice said, as though this were perfectly clear.

Vivian pulled out another file from her stack after flipping through a few.

"More on life prolongation here. Well, if that's what they were after, I'd say they missed the mark."

_Captain's Log, Doctor McCoy's biocomputer and a portable electronic microscope have been beamed down from the Enterprise. They will be used in conjunction with computer banks on-board ship._

McCoy adjusted the electronic microscope delicately.

"Tubular with extreme multiplicability," he muttered. He then looked up and frowned at them. "Appear to have an affinity for nucleic acids. Give me what you have."

"This was three hundred years ago, Captain," Spock said slowly.

"All the adults are dead," Kirk said, nodding. "Only the children left alive."

"But children become adults."

Vivian felt the corners of her lips twitching with amusement. She might have laughed if lives weren't at stake. Still, she said, "That's the way of it in every species I've ever studied, Mr. Spock."

If Spock realized she was teasing him, he didn't show it outwardly. Instead, he turned to McCoy and said, "Doctor, there are certain glandular changes which take place upon entering puberty, are there not?"

With a puzzled blink, McCoy answered, "Of course. It changes the entire body system. You know that. Of course you know that. Why?"

"Is it not possible that these children here, as they enter puberty, contract the disease?"

"That would explain why there are no adults," Captain Kirk said, although something was still niggling at Vivian about that.

"Glandular, post-pubescent," Bones said with a considering nod. "Could be."

"But there's still a problem," Vivian said. "The whole point of puberty is readying the body. Three hundred years since the first of the adults died, but children in the streets?"

"Who then die when they enter adolescence," Kirk said, obviously not seeing the problem. But McCoy had.

"She's right. How do they keep the line going?"

Janice, too, had noticed something the Captain hadn't. Something beyond the biological level. She said, "One thing, Captain. If she were a wild animal ever since she's been a little girl, how do you explain that she wants to stay with us?"

"Loneliness?" Kirk offered. "I don't know, curiosity? I think children have an instinctive need for adults. They want to be told right and wrong."

Spock raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "There may be other emotions at work in this case, Captain."

Kirk frowned, confused, but everyone else in the room seemed to have noticed what Spock was hinting at.

"She likes you, Jamie," McCoy said.

"She's not going to be a child much longer," Vivian said delicately. She wasn't sure how sexuality worked on this planet, not without a more sophisticated study of native brains under stimuli, but even the untrained eye could recognize a youthful infatuation. Except, apparently, the object of that infatuation.

The open communicator signal jolted them out of the conversation with Farrell's voice.

"Mr. Spock."

He picked up the communicator.

"Spock here."

"Here are those figures you asked for. Twelve to the tenth power. Metabolic rate seventy-two percent. Production of nucleic acids reduced to thirty-three percent of normal. Conventional chronological progression one hundred by three point six."

"Acknowledged, Lieutenant." He set down the communicator. "I have their calculations now."

Kirk turned to the security man and said, "Try again, see if you can find anything outside." Then she turned to Miri, who was listening a bit too closely to them. "Hey, clean up that desk for me, will you?"

She smiled sweetly and said, "Alright, Jamie."

"Thank you."

Vivian would have thought it cute, but she didn't have time for cute. Spock, who never had time for cute, continued in a lower voice, "According to their life prolongation plan, what they thought they were accomplishing, a person would age only one month for every hundred years of real time."

Janice, stunned, said, "One hundred years and only a month?"

Things were beginning to coalesce, but Vivian tapped her fingers on the table top, thinking out loud, saying, "They must have missed something, because this virus killed off the adult population, leaving the children behind."

Janice was still hung up on the age.

"But that means these children-"

"Could very well be immensely old," Spock finished, glancing at Miri for a moment.

"That would certainly answer the question of what happened to their parents," Kirk muttered.

"Answers it very well," McCoy agreed.

Janice glanced at Miri as well, watching her straighten up the desk as requested. She said, "Children who never age. Eternal childhood, filled with play, no responsibilities. It's almost like a dream."

Kirk said, "I wouldn't examine that dream too closely, Yeoman. It might not turn out to be very pretty."

"A few days," McCoy said in almost a whisper, "or a week ago, that creature that attacked us could have been just like Miri. A child entering puberty on this planet means a death sentence."

"Do you suppose she knows?" Janice asked anxiously.

They all looked to Vivian, who watched the smiling Miri. The girl was naïve, a little animalistic, and perhaps simple in a sense, but she was not stupid. She was perfectly capable of fear. If she had known, if she had any sense that what had happened to others might happen to her, she would have been terrified at this point of her life.

"I doubt it very much," Vivian whispered.

"If they're as old as Spock claims, they must have some idea of what's happening," Janice insisted.

"Vivian's right," Kirk said, shaking her head, "there's no adult interpretation. I think we're dealing with children. Immensely old, perhaps, but nonetheless children. We've got to do something about the others."

"Difficult," Spock assessed, "if we can't even get a glimpse of them."

Kirk looked at him.

"You couldn't get close to the other kids?"

"Impossible. They know the area too well, like mice."

"I'm going to try." Kirk looked up at Miri and smiled a gentle, motherly smile. "Miri?" The girl looked up. "Come here. You want to go someplace with me?"

"Sure," Miri said happily, and the others watched as they left the room holding hands. Janice looked slightly outraged.

"That little girl," she began, but Vivian cut her off swiftly.

"Is about three centuries older than you, Janice." It was hard not to smile again. At least the symptoms hadn't begun to kick in. Amusement wasn't among them. "Calm down."

/-/

Vivian was emotionally exhausted with all of the searching for answers it seemed they were fighting against an unknowable clock to hunt down, and she had taken to sitting on the floor of the laboratory at Spock's feet, going through files for more information that might sharpen the search. They were listening to a communication between Spock and the ship, waiting for confirmation on his numbers.

"Data has been fed into the computers, Mr. Spock," Lieutenant Farrell was saying. "Stand by."

"Acknowledged."

Vivian dug a ragged fingernail into the grit between to floor tiles. It was becoming a bad habit, if habits could be formed in such a short space of time.

Miri, who was sharpening pencils they might need on the Captain's orders, said from somewhere behind the table Vivian leaned her back against, "Are these enough, Jamie?"

"We could use some more, if you don't mind."

"No, I don't mind."

Her footsteps retreated to the sharpener again and Kirk said in a low voice, "There couldn't be any doubt about what you found here?"

Spock, whose voice seemed loud to Vivian compared with their nearly customary whispering around Miri, said, "This fellow made these notes in the last weeks after the disaster began. I disregard these last few entries. He said himself he was too sick, too far gone to be sure he wasn't already mad, and I agree, but based on the entries he made before that, I know how much time we have. The ship's computer will verify my figures."

McCoy, who was becoming increasingly irritable – although whether by his own nature or as a product of the disease no one could be sure – said, "Only a matter of time before we all go mad, destroy each other, till the last of us finally destroys himself."

Vivian closed her eyes and leaned her head back against a cold metal drawer handle and said, "And Miri?"

"Our guess was correct," Spock said, his voice seeming even louder as he looked down at her. "They contract the disease as they enter puberty and their metabolism changes. The notes would indicate it doesn't become acute for a month or so. I estimate she has perhaps five or six weeks left."

"And what about us?" McCoy demanded.

"The older the victim," Spock said slowly, "the more rapid the progress of the disease."

"And you?" Kirk asked. "The disease doesn't seem to be interested in you."

"I am a carrier. Whatever happens, I can't go back to the ship, and I do want to go back to the ship, Captain."

"Get in line, Mr. Spock," Vivian said, not fighting as her lips formed an involuntary smile. "And we still don't really know what this thing does."

"No," McCoy said, "but we know what it is and how fast it does it. It's progressing. We'll begin to feel it inside soon. Intense fever, great pain in the extremities, fuzziness of vision. Of course, those are the early symptoms. There'll be more."

The smile slipped from Vivian's lips like butter down a hot fry pan.

Captain Kirk said, "Are you certain about the time we have left?"

"I presume my calculations are correct," Spock said.

"Is there any possibility-"

"Landing party," Farrell's voice said on the communicator. Vivian pulled herself quickly to her feet in order to hear more clearly. "This is the Enterprise."

"Spock here."

"Computer indicates one hundred seventy hours, Mr. Spock."

The air in the laboratory was still and thick for a moment as Spock closed the communicator. Vivian gripped at the edge of the table, feeling her hands beginning to tremble. She dug her nails against the hard counter surface, not wanting anyone to see the shake.

"That's that, Captain," she said softly. "Seven days to figure this out."

_Captain's Log, supplemental. This is the second day of the seven left to us. We've found nothing. Enterprise is standing by with labs and computers ready to assist us._

Tension was growing every minute they floundered, and no seemed to be feeling it nearly as much as the Captain, who spent half her time pacing anymore. Vivian had abandoned her post sitting on the floor and had taken to sitting next to Spock, writing down numbers he said were important and relaying anything to McCoy, who was looking at everything available trying to isolate their main focus.

"There's no data," Kirk said for the third time that day, "no starting point."

"I think I've found it," Bones said suddenly, so suddenly that Vivian actually dropped her pencil mid-figure. She hurriedly snatched it up again and finished writing before looking up expectantly.

"Janice, take Miri for a walk," Kirk ordered in a gentle voice.

"Yes, sir."

"Only one half intact," McCoy said, holding up a file.

"But do you know what they were up to?" Kirk asked.

McCoy handed the sheet of paper in question to Vivian, who looked it over. It wasn't a complete picture, but it was something.

"Basically," she said, handing it to Spock. "They were using a series of diseases, a chain reaction, with the desired end result being the prolonged human life."

"Unfortunately," Spock said, setting down the paper, "they weren't successful. We've seen the results."

"You three," Kirk said excitedly, "will have to recreate their thinking. If you can isolate that virus, we'll be able to develop a vaccine."

The corners of Vivian's lips twitched again, but McCoy looked aghast.

"Is that all, Captain?" he said with little humor. "We have five days, you know."

"I know," Kirk said gently.

From nowhere in particular, a peculiar taunting sound could be heard: "Nyah na nyah. Nyah na nyah."

Vivian dropped her pencil again, snatching up her phaser.

"The children!" she hissed.

The four of them rushed into the corridor, separating as they searched the floor for the children they had heard. Vivian checked every room twice, every cupboard and cranny, in her section, but there was not a sight of them. When the four of them met outside the laboratory again, it seemed she was not the only one empty-handed.

"Anything?" Captain Kirk asked.

"No, nothing," Spock said as Vivian shook her head.

"And you?" he asked McCoy as they reentered the lab.

"Communicators, Captain," Spock said darkly. "They've gone."

Sure enough, all the communicators had vanished from the room, and Vivian felt a sinking feeling forming in the pit of her stomach.

"Jamie," McCoy said urgently, "we've absolutely got to have those communicators. Without them, we don't have the computers, and without the computers, we don't have a chance."

Five days suddenly felt like the shortest span imaginable.

_Captain's Log, stardate 2717.3. Three days, seven hours left to us. Investigation proves that the supply of food in the area is running dangerously low. Unless something is done, the children will starve in a few months. The disease is working on each of us according to the predictions of Counselor Buckingham and Doctor McCoy. Our tempers are growing short, and we're no further along than we were two days ago._

"Haven't you found something?"

That sharp remark aimed at Doctor McCoy was the sound of the last person succumbing to the irritability of the first stages of symptoms. Spock watched Vivian's face change as she said the words, although she was still struggling to collect herself. She had remarkable presence of mind in spite of the difficulties the disease was causing all of them, and although her relative youth could account for the delay, Spock had seen several times over the course of the last sixteen and a half hours small changes in her face that she curtailed before she gave in to an outburst.

If communicators were not recovered soon, she would be the only one capable of helping him continue the search for a vaccine.

"Would you like to take a crack at it?" McCoy snarled back at her, and Vivian turned away, pushing past Yeoman Rand, causing her to drop several test tubes she had been bringing to the Doctor. They shattered on the tile and Janice shrieked, "No, no, no!" and rushed out of the room, followed by Captain Kirk. Spock briefly noted Miri following them into the corridor, but he had to focus on slides he was preparing for Doctor McCoy based on samples he had taken from each of them in their advancing stages of the disease.

"Sorry," Vivian muttered, cleaning up the glass, with enough presence of mind to use gloves and proper sweeping technique for safety.

Suddenly, Doctor McCoy burst out, "Jamie, I've found something!" The others reentered from the corridor quickly, and he said, "The last slide I examined, I failed to make the necessary adjustment. The slowing down of my own responses."

"Never mind that," the Captain demanded, "what did you find?"

Vivian looked at the microscope a grin teasing her lips as she did.

"The disease, Captain," she said. "The one they created. This is it."

"There's a chance!" Janice said excitedly.

"A chance," McCoy said, his face more pleasant than it had been in days. "At least it's a race now, and we've just wasted a minute."

/-/

Time was running out, and things had only gone from unlikely to nearly impossible. The communicators had still not been recovered, and Janice had gone mysteriously missing. Miri almost certainly knew where she had gone, but for some reason would not tell anyone, not even Captain Kirk, who was growing increasingly frantic with worry.

"It looks right," McCoy said, looking at the vaccine they had just formulated.

"The nitrogen cycle," Spock said, nodding. "It has to be."

"But the question is, what's the dosage?"

"That is a very good question."

Spock looked over to where Vivian and Kirk were trying to coax answers out of Miri.

"Where did she go, Miri?" Vivian said, struggling to keep some hold on her professional voice, the one she used with patients. "Where's Janice? Where is she?"

"What's the matter with you?" Miri said. "How should I know?"

"Where is she?" Kirk said, grasping Miri roughly by the shoulders. "Has something happened to her?"

"Do you feel alright?" Miri said, obviously frightened by the change in the Captain.

"No, I don't feel alright!" the Captain snapped. "None of us feel aright! Can't you see what's going on?"

With a shaking voice, Miri said, "Jamie, I don't want anything to happen to you."

The Captain calmed herself slightly and said, "I've got to find Janice."

"That's not all, Captain," Spock added calmly. "We've got to find those communicators."

"We're trying, Mr. Spock. We're trying very hard."

With a sudden, violent transformation, all of Vivian's resistance against her internal agitation seemed to snap under the force of the disease and she began to pace in a small space, frantic, desperate, and gesticulating wildly as she ranted.

"It's not enough! None of it's enough! Maybe we can fix it, maybe we can't, but we'll never know, will we?"

With a motion that seemed unconscious and absent-minded to Spock, Vivian snatched up scalpel and began to brandish it, not at anyone in particular, perhaps even with unconscious intention of harming herself, and before he realized what he was doing, Spock had crossed the room in a few swift steps and wrested the scalpel from her hands, restraining her arms, pinning them to her sides as the rest of the room watched in horror.

Unsettling. That was the best way to describe his experience as she began to cry, upper arms pinned to her sides, her forearms pressed against his chest, poised to struggle but merely rigid against him without force. The way her face twisted as she cried was discomforting, and her hair had become unruly, sticking to her face from the sweat of the exertion. With one arm, he wrapped around her small body and held her rigid form against his chest as she cried, and with his free hand he began to smooth the hair out of her face.

She had done this for him once, when he had been distraught, out of his faculties, infected. She had known what to say, had soothed him. His mother would have known what to say.

Spock was helpless to think of a single comforting thing.

"We've got to have those communicators, Jamie," he finally said as she began to calm herself marginally.

"This is the vaccine?" Captain Kirk asked, looking at the hypo McCoy held in his hands.

"That's what the computers will tell us," the Doctor said, still watching Vivian.

"Without them," Spock said, "it could be a beaker full of death."

Vivian gave a strangled sort of sob, then sobered up considerably, wiping her eyes with a limp, infected hand.

"Did you hear them?" Kirk said, rounding on Miri once more as Spock released his hold on Vivian, who steadied herself, wiping off her face. "We only have a few hours left."

"I don't care," Miri said stubbornly, illogically.

In another outburst of emotion, less violent this time, Vivian said, "You can't afford not to care. You're growing up, Miri, and fast. You've stopped playing games, you're with us instead of your friends. You're becoming a woman, and soon enough you'll get the disease. You, and eventually all the Onlies."

"That's not true," Miri said, but she was becoming afraid again. "It just happens sometimes."

"All the time, Miri!" Kirk insisted. "It's happening to you right now! Look at it." She pointed to a spot on Miri, proof of the infection they had known to be there. "Look at it, Miri, it's in you!"

"No!" Miri shrieked, distraught. "No! No!"

/-/

Frustrated was the best word to describe Vivian's state of mind. She could feel everything slipping away from her, had nearly broken down altogether, but she fought to focus that frustration on something productive, to channel her agitation toward a productive end. She was the most rational human left, and she couldn't leave Spock entirely on his own in the search if they started to drop one by one.

Doctor McCoy already teetered on the brink of insanity.

She and Kirk were motioned by Miri to wait in the corridor outside of a school room, and Vivian waited, feeling the anxiety and agitation riding up inside of her in waves of nausea and aggression but she took deep breaths, focusing on the sounds inside the room.

"Okay, then," the voice of a boy said, to Miri. "Don't just stand in the doorway, come on in."

Vivian and Kirk entered the room after Miri, and at the sight of adults the children in the room, who were apparently holding Janice hostage, showed obvious signs of feeling betrayal.

"Listen to them," Miri said, but her voice wavered. She was terrified.

"You listen, Miri."

The boy was almost Miri's age, obviously the next to go if this was the whole of the population. They were easily the oldest ones left.

"I did," Miri said. "Why do you think I brought them here? Tell them, Jamie."

"Tell 'em, Jamie," the boy mocked. "Tell 'em, Jamie."

The children echoed his taunt in a chant, the words taking on a violent, tribal nature.

"Listen to me," Captain Kirk ordered, but the chant continued. "Listen to me!"

"No yelling in the classroom!" the boy said, smiling. "Look at her, a very bad citizen."

They had some concept of order, then, passed on from oldest children to oldest children as they died off. But this was a twisted, warped sort of order, like something in Vivian's worst adolescent nightmares of having to babysit her siblings.

"This isn't a game," Kirk insisted. "It was never a game."

"Call the police!" a blonde girl cried.

"I'm the police," a red-haired boy said, rushing forward, a club of sorts in hand. "Bonk bonk unless you're good."

"You're the teacher," the eldest boy said, frowning.

He was obviously coming to adolescence, the keeper of the rules.

"I got two jobs," the red-head said. "Bon bonk!"

The children began chanting "Blah blah blah!"

"Listen to me!" Kirk cried, desperate to be heard by some reasonable soul. "You've got our communicators, the boxes we talk into. We need them to talk to the ship."

"Blah blah blah!" the red-haired boy said, and Vivian lost her little bit of self-control.

"Not blah blah blah!" she snapped. "Do you understand? If you don't help us, no more games! Nothing left, no Grups or Onlies, nothing at all forever and ever."

"Counselor!" Janice cried from her seat, but it was too late.

A boy brandishing a club came up behind Vivian and bashed her quite hard across the head, blood tricking down through her blonde hair and onto her face. She crumbled onto the floor as Captain Kirk relieved the boy of the club, but Vivian gripped at the ground with her ruined nails, breathing in deeply through the nose, fighting aggression and nausea and pain and dizziness.

"Now listen to me," the Captain continued. "You've got to help us before it's too late. Let Janice go. Give us the communicators before it's too late."

The children began to approach menacingly, chanting their taunts of "Nyah na nyah" as they closed in.

"You've seen your friends die one by one as they grew up," Kirk continued. "Did you ever see one of them not change? One by one they got the disease, and they became like, like those creatures you're afraid of, like Louise. One by one they changed and got the disease. The disease like I've got, like Miri has. You understand what I'm talking about. You're not babies. We can help you!"

"Naughty Grup!" the red-haired boy said, hitting the prone Vivian on her wound, then hitting Kirk. "Bonk bonk!" he cried. "Bonk bonk!"

"No, please!" Miri cried. "No!"

But the other children joined in on the attack, hitting the pair of women until Kirk began to bleed as well, drops of her blood dripping onto the ground beside Vivian, who was gritting her teeth, struggling not to rip the children to pieces.

"It's waiting for you," Kirk continued. "It may only be a matter of months."

"Listen to her," Miri insisted. "She's telling the truth."

"She's funny," the ringleader boy said, unconvinced. "She thinks she's funny."

"Bonk bonk!" the red-head continued. "Get 'em!"

"Look at my arms!" Kirk roared. "That's what's going to happen to you unless we help you."

"Bonk bonk! Hit 'em!"

"And the little ones. What's going to happen to them after you've gone, after you've turned into creatures like Louise? Oh, they'll still be here, but not for long, because the food's all gone. You've eaten it. Maybe six months left, that's all, and then nothing left to eat, nobody to take care of them. They'll die too."

"Look at my arm, Jahn," Miri said to the oldest boy while Vivian dug her nails deeper into the floor. "It's happening to me. She's telling the truth."

"They're Grups!" Jahn snapped.

"Bonk bonk!" the children cried as they assaulted. "Bonk bonk!"

Vivian, finding a point of argument, finding something to say that could make some difference, managed to pull herself to her feet and steady herself, grabbing at the corner of the schoolteacher's desk as dizziness set in. How much blood she had lost she couldn't say, but she was bleeding in a few different places now, her uniform torn, and if she didn't have splotches already she would have guessed she'd already be bruising.

"Look at yourselves!" she cried. "Look at what you've done! Look at my face. Blood on my face, blood on your hands. Onlies hurting now, hurting and yelling, maybe killing." Their faces changed as they registered this truth. "Onlies will be just like the Grups if you don't let us help you. Please!" Something they could see, something real and tangible to them. "If you don't let us, nothing will be left. Everything will die."

/-/

Spock watched the door, waiting patiently for the Captain and the Counselor to return with the communicators, and probably Yeoman Rand as well. They had been gone long, but they had no idea how many children there might be, how far away their hidey-hole was.

"We can't wait for those communicators any longer," McCoy said.

"We must," Spock said levelly. "The vaccine could be fatal."

Doctor McCoy could be trying with his illogical nature in the best of times, but the disease had made him utterly unfathomable to Spock.

"The disease certainly is," McCoy insisted. "How long do we have left? Hours, minutes? How much longer do you want to wait?"

But Spock was barely listening to him. He was beginning to think that something might have happened to the others.

"Bickering is pointless," he said dismissively. "I'll check on the Captain and Counselor, see if the have made progress."

He only made it to the corridor, however, when the voice of the Doctor crying out his name in a panic brought Spock running back into the room. Security officer Galloway followed, and they found McCoy unconscious on the floor, the hypo sticking out of his skin.

"Is he dead, Mr. Spock?" Galloway asked, nervous as Spock knelt down to check the man's condition.

"Not yet," Spock said, although without knowing what dosage they needed, there was no telling if or how long that might remain true.

Voices approached, and footsteps, and he looked up to see Counselor Buckingham leading the way with a mass of children, and the Captain and Yeoman in tow. Vivian was talking on a communicator.

"Yes, three hours eleven minutes, acknowledged, Lieutenant. We require an open channel and clear computers."

Spock could pinpoint the exact moment she saw Doctor McCoy's prone figure by the way her brown eyes went from controlled and even relieved to distressed and wide. As her face shifted from the widening of her eyes, Spock noticed the blood on her face and arms, dripping and congealing. Vivian fell to her knees beside McCoy and began to check his vital signs as Spock touched her face, turning her head at the chin to check her wounds.

"What's happened?" she demanded as he tilted her head down to examine a wound on her scalp that looked especially bad.

"He injected himself with the vaccine," Spock reported, thinking of the schematics of the room, trying to recall if he'd seen any old style bandages. "He was unconscious when I found him."

Vivian batted Spock's hand away, irritated, and Spock could not discern if this was because of the action of examining her wounds or because of her heightened irritation with everything because of the infection.

"Look at his face," Captain Kirk said, and they both turned to watch a change occurring in Doctor McCoy.

"The blemishes are fading. They're fading," Spock said. He turned back to Vivian to try to get a better look at her scalp wound, but she batted his hand away again "Who will understand the medical mind?" he said, pulling his hand away and shaking his head.

A boy beside Miri said, "Is this supposed to be a good thing, Miri?"

"Of course it is," she answered with a sweet, confident smile.

/-/

Spock stood in the turbolift with Vivian, both of them changed into fresh uniforms, and her hair conspicuously clean and tidy, not a strand out of place. He glanced at her scalp and saw only a small pink scar on the hairline where the wound had been, the one she protected like an instinctive animal.

"I see your face is healed, Counselor," he said, unable to think of anything better.

"So it is, Mr. Spock," she said, her lips twitching into a sort of smirk. "I'm a little more impressed with the fact that I'm alive. Thank you for that."

Before he processed her words, they had arrived at the Bridge and she stepped out of the turbolift. Spock crossed to his station as Vivian handed the Captain a report she had been carrying, presumably on the psychological measures taken to put the children back on a normal developmental path.

"They were just children," Janice said, looking at the planet on the screen. "Simply to leave them there with a medical team-"

"Just children," the Captain said, amused, "three hundred years old and more. I've already contacted Space Control. They'll send teachers, advisors."

"And truant officers, I presume," Doctor McCoy said darkly, glancing at Vivian, no doubt thinking of the wounds he had to heal almost on regaining consciousness.

"It'll be fine, Doctor," Vivian said in her working voice, but her fingers absently rubbed at her hairline, caressing the pink line of scar tissue.

"Miri," Janice said, watching the Captain sadly. "She really loved you, you know."

"Yes," Kirk said, smiling. "I never get involved with older women, Yeoman. Mr. Spock?"

"Captain?" Spock said, tearing his eyes away from the dazed-looking Counselor Buckingham to receive orders.

"Full ahead. Warp factor one."

Mind back to work on familiar tasks.

"Warp factor one, Captain."


	5. Dagger of the Mind

_Captain's Log, stardate 2715.1. Exchanged cargo with penal colony on Tantalus V. I've departed without going ashore._

Vivian had carefully arranged her Bridge time to be on duty when the Enterprise made contact with Tantalus, almost hoping something would go wrong so that she would be allowed to go to the surface to visit the penal colony. Doctor McCoy, on the other hand, had travelled onto the Bridge specifically to make cynical remarks, she knew, about the barbarism of penal colonies, so she was purposefully not paying attention as she paced by the Engineering and Security panels, bored with the quick, uneventful transfer of materials.

"It would have been fascinating to meet Doctor Adams," Vivian said, pausing in front of an the Engineering panel to watch the indicators move as the ship moved into Warp factor two. "Half the psychology and psychiatry students in my year at Starfleet were angling to work for him. I've not been to a penal colony where his theories have been put into practice, but I hear it's incredible."

"A cage is a cage, Vivian," McCoy said darkly.

"You're behind the times, Bones," Captain Kirk said, her dark eyes laughing. "They're more like resort colonies now."

The young Yeoman Barrows, heading communications on this shift said, "Message, Captain. Switching to speaker."

The voice of a woman came onto the speaker, saying, "Tantalus Colony to Enterprise. We are unable to locate one of our inmates. This is a potentially violent case. Possibly hidden in the box we beamed up to you. Repeat, unable to locate one of our inmates. This is a potentially violent case."

Vivian was beginning to feel guilty for wishing for something eventful when the Captain said, "Enterprise acknowledging. Standby." She turned to Barrows and ordered, "Security alert three."

In two swift steps, Vivian crossed to the Security panel as Yeoman Barrows announced to the ship, "Security alert, condition three. We may have an intruder aboard. Repeat, all sections to alert condition three. Intruder aboard."

A light came up on the panel in front of Vivian and she put in her earpiece, receiving the report.

"Captain," she said, switching the light off to acknowledge, "we've got an incident on section C deck fourteen. Reports assailant in an engineering uniform."

The Captain pressed her intercom and said, "Security control, this is the Bridge. Come in."

"I have them, Captain," Spock said, flipping a few switches. "Closing off deck fourteen, search in progress."

Barrows continued: "Security alert, condition three. Approximately six foot four male, early forties. Approach with caution. This man's extremely dangerous. Repeat, approach with extreme caution. Bridge out."

Vivian waited a few minutes longer for a report, but the officers on deck fourteen gave her the all clear.

"Nothing from the sealed deck, Captain," she said. "He must have already left. Expanding to search adjoining sections."

"Enterprise to Tantalus Colony," Kirk said on ship-to-surface.

"Tantalus Colony," a man's voice replied. "Adams here."

Vivian had never been one to hero-worship those in her field, but she did drop her pencil in shock. This patient must be a serious risk.

"Doctor Adams?" Captain Kirk said, obviously intrigued. "This is Captain Kirk. IT appears we may have an inmate of yours aboard the ship."

Spock turned and said, "Transporter crewman found unconscious, Captain. Cargo case open and empty."

"Make that definite, Doctor," Kirk corrected. "He's aboard."

"Terribly sorry, Captain," Doctor Adams said. "I take all the blame. Let me repeat, he's clever as well as extremely violent. Take all possible precautions."

"We'll keep you posted, Doctor. Kirk out."

"Interesting," Spock said, looking around at Kirk, McCoy, and Vivian as if for explanation. "Your Earth people glorify organized violence for forty centuries, but you imprison those who employ it privately."

Vivian could feel the corners of her mouth twitching with amusement, and she cut in with a teasing tone before McCoy could start a fight.

"Naturally," she offered, "Vulcans found a superior solution?"

Spock nodded.

"We disposed of emotion, Counselor. Where there is no emotion there is no motive for violence."

She thought he was probably right about that. She'd been in very few physical fights in her life, but all of them were driven by overwhelming emotions, jealous of her brother, anger at her father, grief at the loss of her uncle.

Before she could meditate further, the turbolift door opened to reveal an armed stranger in an Engineering uniform, brandishing his phaser wildly. Vivian stood abruptly, crossing to the center of the room, which put the weapon trained momentarily on her.

"Where's the Captain?" the man demanded. "Which one of you is the Captain?"

Standing and turning, Kirk faced the stranger with a slow, defensive stance.

"I'm Captain Kirk."

"My name is Van Gelder," the man said. "I want asylum."

"At gunpoint?" Kirk said.

"I want your promise first, your word you won't take me back there, to Tantalus."

"No promises," Kirk said firmly, taking a step forward. "Give me the weapon."

"No!" the man cried wildly. "No. No, I'm not going back! I'll disable your vessel first. You chose, Captain. I'll destroy your control panel!"

He was, indeed, aiming the phaser now at the panel, and Vivian knew she had to think quickly. She could see something blue moving out of the corner of her eye and took a chance that it was Spock. Vivian rushed on the stranger, giving him only enough time to adjust his aim onto her before Spock neck-pinched him. He fell unconscious into Spock's arms.

"I'll take care of him, Captain," Vivian said, adjusting her sleeves and brushing her skirt to calm herself. "Bones, Spock, help me get him to Sickbay. Captain, let's head back to Tantalus, if you don't mind."

/-/

Silently completing a more complete report for the record, Vivian listened from the patient's bedside as Doctor McCoy and Captain Kirk reviewed her preliminary report from the other end of Sickbay.

"Abnormal, of course, but not schizophrenia, tissue damage, or any condition either of us is familiar with, Jamie. And you know, after getting him here, it took almost a triple dose to put him under."

"Vivian's report said he was talkative."

"But not very informative. He claimed one thing, then he seemed to forget, and then he'd start to claim something else, but always with just a ring of truth in it. I think Vivian's itching to study this one as much as I am, Jamie."

"Not our problem, Bones."

At this, the seemingly-sleeping patient sat up, half-wild again, spluttering, "You smart, button-pushing brass hat. Wash your hands of it. Is that your system? You three are quite sure of yourselves, aren't you? Quite expert. Take him back, let someone else worry about him."

Vivian pretended to ignore the fascinating outburst and looked up with her sweetest smile.

"Could you repeat your name, sir?" she said in her work voice. "I need it for my records."

"My name?" the man said, frowning thoughtfully, looking as though it caused him much effort to remember trivial details. "My name is Simon Van Gelder." His face contorted in extreme pain and Vivian set aside her report and glanced up at the readout. "I was the director of, director at the Tantalus Colony."

Vivian inhaled a sharp breath, noting all the shifts in the man's story since waking, trying to piece together what it all meant.

"You see what I mean?" McCoy said softly to the Captain.

"I was a graduate of, of…. I was assistant to Doctor…. I knew," he said pitifully, looking up at Vivian with pleading, tortured eyes. "I knew, but they've erased it."

"Erased?" McCoy prompted.

"Edited," Van Gelder said, looking over at McCoy, "adjusted, subverted me, but I won't forget!" He became frenzied and violent again. "I won't forget! You, you're so blind ignorant. You believe I belong back there, don't you? Dead or alive. Well, I won't let you take me back. I'm not going! I'll die first! Do you hear? I'm not going! No! No! No."

He cringed away as Vivian took a heavy-dose prepared hypo and injected him swiftly. His heart rate was going out of control, and they were obviously getting nowhere questioning him.

"You see?" McCoy said, his blue eyes twinkling with excitement. "What a patient, Jamie."

"No, Bones," Captain Kirk said firmly, although her stance had stiffened, and her eyes looked troubled. "Counselor, accompany me to the Bridge to finish off your shift. McCoy, call for her if the patient gives trouble."

Vivian waited until they were in the turbolift before saying, "Bones is right, Captain. This patient, he keeps tweaking his story, but he always seems to be saying the truth."

"Between the psychopathic rants and bouts of violent mania?" the Captain said, forcing amusement.

Amused was the furthest thing from Vivian's feelings in that moment, though, and just before the doors to the Bridge opened she said, "Even the people most affected by lunacy are capable of truth, Captain, when they need it."

Her assessment was ignored, however, and as Captain Kirk stepped onto the Bridge, Vivian following in her wake, the first thing she did was cross to Spock and ask, "Estimated arrival at Tantalus?"

Spock did not look up from his computer viewscreen as he replied, "Fifty-seven minutes, thirty seconds, Captain."

"What's so fascinating?" the Captain prompted.

"An identification tape from our ship's library on Doctor Simon Van Gelder."

Feeling overwhelmed by excitement, Vivian pushed forward, resting her hand on the back of Spock's chair as she leaned over his shoulder for a look.

"Doctor?" she asked, eagerly.

"Doctor Van Gelder, Counselor," Spock confirmed. "No mistake. There's a full ID tape on him. Look for yourself."

He moved out of his chair, allowing Vivian to sit and get a better look at the viewscreen. Sure enough, the tape was there, detailing his schooling, his commendations and awards, even some promising early research on rehabilitative psychiatry.

"Committed to Tantalus Colony when?" Captain Kirk prompted.

"Assigned there six months ago as Adams's associate," Spock corrected.

Vivian turned to see a troubled, confused look on Kirk's face as she registered what McCoy and Vivian had been trying to tell her in Sickbay: something wasn't adding up, and if the patient wasn't lying….

"Ship to surface," Kirk ordered. "Tantalus colony."

Vivian quickly turned to the comm panel beside Spock's sensors and adjusted the frequency settings.

"Hailing frequencies open, sir," she said.

"USS Enterprise to Tantalus Colony."

"Tantalus," said the voice of a woman.

"This is Captain Kirk. I'd like to speak to Doctor Adams."

"Stand by, Enterprise."

The briefest of waits, and then –

"Captain Kirk, Doctor Adams here."

"Doctor Adams, regarding your escaped man-"

"Is Doctor Van Gelder alright? And your people, no injuries?"

Vivian and Spock exchanged a look before looking back at the Captain, who appeared equally taken aback by this sudden shift to referring to the intruder as Doctor rather than as a dangerous patient.

"No casualties, sir," Kirk said. "This man is Doctor Simon Van Gelder?"

"Yes, of course. You're certain he's alright? We've been very concerned. In the violent state he's in-"

"No harm to him, sir. We thought you might enlighten us as to his condition."

The turbolift doors opened to reveal Doctor McCoy, and Vivian stood up to receive a report he was holding up on chemical deviations in Van Gelder's bloodstream. She crossed and took it from him, waiting to read as Doctor Adams began his explanation.

"He'd been doing some experimental work, Captain, an experimental beam we'd hoped might rehabilitate incorrigibles. Van Gelder felt he hadn't he moral right to expose another man to something he hadn't tried on his own person."

Vivian shivered slightly and muttered, "Tragic, but-"

"Jamie," McCoy said softly, "that doesn't quite ring true."

"Er, Doctor Adams, please stand by," Captain Kirk said quickly, putting the transmission in standby and turning to Doctor McCoy. "Explain."

"I don't believe him," McCoy said firmly. "I can't explain it, but the more we study that patient-"

"You don't believe him," Kirk said darkly, "and you can't explain it. Bones, are you aware that in the last twenty years Doctor Adams has done more to revolutionize, to humanize prisons and the treatment of prisoners than all the rest of humanity had done in forty centuries? I've been to those penal colonies since they've begun following his methods, and they're not cages anymore."

"Jamie-"

Vivian had skimmed the report and nothing unusual was present, which troubled her all the more.

"I know that as well as you, Captain," she said, signing the report and handing it back to McCoy. "They've made proper hospitals for the psychologically ill, but something here isn't right."

Captain Kirk shook her head, and McCoy, growing increasingly frustrated demanded, "Jamie, listen!"

"Forgive me," Spock cut in coolly, "but I suggest you ask Doctor Adams if he wants Van Gelder returned."

The four of them looked around at each other for a moment before Kirk reengaged the communication and said, "Doctor Adams, regarding Van Gelder."

"Yes, Captain," Doctor Adams said cheerfully. "May I inquire about your patrol destinations? Are you passing near any hospital facilities superior to ours? I'd like Van Gelder to have the best possible treatment, of course."

Something about those words and how they were said sealed it for Vivian, she would not let Van Gelder return to Tantalus if she had to smuggle him away in a shuttlecraft by herself, but for the moment she had to focus on ways to logically undermine what Doctor Adams had so perfectly presented to his own advantage.

"Thank you, Doctor," Kirk replied. "I'll take it up with the ship's surgeon and counselor. Stand by." She looked up at them again, smiling expectantly. "Well, Bones, your team has the ball. You care to recommend a better place?"

"There are no superior facilities, he knows that," McCoy said irritably. "But that's not the question. If something unusual is going on down there-"

"But we can't know that, Doctor," Vivian said reasonably, already plotting a shuttle course in her mind to the nearest Class M planet.

"Vivian, you and I are required to enter any reasonable doubts into our medical logs," McCoy said, and Vivian lit up. Shuttlecraft hijacking wouldn't be required after all, the man was brilliant. He saw her smile and turned back to the Captain. "That requires the captain to answer in her log. Sorry, Jamie."

With an annoyed sigh, Kirk reengaged the communications once more and said, "Doctor Adams, this is rather embarrassing. By strict interpretation of our starship regulation, I'm required to initiate an investigation of this so that a proper report-"

"No need to apologize, Captain Kirk," Doctor Adams said swiftly. "In fact, I'd take it as a personal favor if you'd beam down here and look into it yourself. I'm sure you realize we don't get too many visitors here. Oh, I, er, Captain, I would appreciate it if you came down with minimal staff. We're forced to limit outside contact as much as possible."

Kirk smiled.

"Affirmative, Doctor. I've visited rehab colonies bevore. Enterprise out." She looked rather pleased with herself as she turned to Vivian and said, "Counselor, you stay with Doctor McCoy. I want someone of your expertise with Van Gelder should he cause a problem." Vivian felt a little disappointed, but she couldn't trust herself not to say something unwise to Doctor Adams if she beamed down, so she nodded. "But the two of you find someone in your department with psychiatric and penology experience, if possible."

"Yes, sir," McCoy said, and Vivian followed him off to Sickbay, eager to get this whole matter settled as soon as possible, and feeling increasingly guilty that she'd wished for something eventful to happen.

/-/

Spock set aside the ID tape on Doctor Van Gelder and listened absently to the Captain's log report as he pulled Counselor Buckingham's reports on the unwell man closer for inspection.

"Captain's Log, stardate 2715.2. Standard orbit, planet Tantalus V. Mission, routine investigation and report per medical logs of ship's surgeon and counselor. As for my last entry, it seems I will get to meet Doctor Adams at last. However, I would have preferred other circumstances."

The Captain ended the log entry with a click before switching on her intercom.

"Sickbay. Report, Counselor."

Vivian Buckingham's voice said, "Van Gelder is still in a state, Captain. Violently agitated and resilient to sedation."

Spock glanced at the Captain, whose mouth twisted with frustration and amusement.

"And you two would prefer to keep him here until I complete my investigation regardless," she said.

"I believe we should, Jamie," Spock said, considering the service record and psychological examinations of the Doctor.

Doctor McCoy's voice came over the intercom and said, "Oh, we're assigning your technical aide, Captain. Vivian's slightly bitter, but one of our psychiatrists does have a background in rehabilitative therapy. Doctor Noel, standing by in the transporter room now."

"Thank you, Doctor. Bridge out." The Captain stood and smoothed her uniform. "Mr. Spock," she said as she turned and left the Bridge.

Spock stood, crossing to the Captain's chair, taking the psychological reports with him and looking them over in the near-silence of the Bridge. In standard orbit, there was often little to distract, and he was particularly glad of this with such a puzzle before him.

His recommendation to the Captain to keep Van Gelder on the ship had nothing to do with distrust of Doctor Adams. It simply wasn't logical practice to release a man to a place you were obligated to investigate until the course of the investigation had finished, regardless of the prestige and clout of Doctor Adams.

Van Gelder may not have been entirely coherent and capable, but he had made no remarkable demands. He had merely stated that it was his sole wish not to be returned to the Tantalus Colony, a place where he had obviously undergone something terrible, whatever that thing might be. And he had not lied to them that anyone could discern, and had been as open as he seemed capable of, in his condition.

Spock agreed with the Counselor's report, however, that without a complete investigation they could not name Doctor Adams as a liar, either. They had no evidence that he had actively deceived them, and the lack of information could have seemed unimportant in the chaos of discovering the loss of a man as confused and violent as Doctor Van Gelder.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the Captain's voice saying, "Kirk to Enterprise. Come in."

Clicking on the ship-to-surface intercom, Spock said, "Enterprise. Spock here."

"Your landing coordinates were right on the nose, Mr. Spock. We arrived safely, and we're here with Doctor Adams right now. Kirk out."

"Affirmative, Captain. Enterprise out."

Spock had just turned back to the Counselor's report when her voice came through the speaker of the intercom.

"Sickbay to Mr. Spock."

He set down the report and clicked the intercom on again, pressing his fingertips together.

"Spock here."

"I hate to ask this, Mr. Spock," she said, her voice a little tight, perhaps nervous. "But I wonder if you can spare a minute to come to Sickbay. Van Gelder has taken a turn for the worse and he's absolutely losing it. If we shoot him up with too many tranquilizers too soon we could do severe damage, but we need to calm him down enough for a single dose to even keep him from thrashing about."

"What do you suggest I do about it, Counselor?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "A different face to pull him out of his mania might do the trick, but if it doesn't work one of your Vulcan neck-pinches might cause his body to relax enough for the sedative to at least have an effect."

He would not have considered the method for such a use, but it appeared to be a very logical course of action. Van Gelder had proven himself strong and capable already, and if he did manage to break free of restraints he might cause someone physical harm in an attempt to keep himself free of Tantalus. Doctor McCoy was not trained in combat, and even though Counselor Buckingham was highly trained, she could be caught off guard and easily overpowered.

"Very well, Counselor, I will be there shortly. Bridge out."

Spock put the Helmsman in charge of the Bridge and set the report back at his station for further examination before moving to Sickbay ask quickly as possible. He found Vivian sitting beside a thrashing Van Gelder, screaming as she tried to make him listen to her. Several strands of her hair had come loose, framing her face at odd angles, making her appear frazzled and wearied. Doctor McCoy was preparing a dose of sedative.

"I'm not a criminal!" the man was crying. "I do not require neural neutralizer!"

The Counselor looked up at Spock, who was watching her tap her fingers against the edge of the cot.

"Neural neutralizer," she repeated, raising her thin, pale eyebrows. "I've never heard of such a thing, but it sounds ghastly. He keeps saying it." She turned to the man, who had fixed his eyes on Spock when she addressed the newcomer, and she took Van Gelder's twitching hand, saying in her gentle work voice, "Doctor Van Gelder, can you explain to Mr. Spock what it is?"

"A room," Van Gelder said as Spock drew closer to the bed. "A device. Door. Control panel. I see it. A device. A light!" he cried, frantic. "A light!"

"This room," Spock prompted. "What happens there?"

Words left the man, all form of rationality left the man, and he began to scream, panicked, tightening his hand around Counselor Buckingham's hand, and she hissed in pain. Van Gelder didn't seem to notice, and Spock hurried to pry her hand out of his grasp. But he failed to notice this, as well, screaming still.

As soon as she was free, the Counselor hurried to the intercom and demanded a tie-in with the Tantalus Colony. Spock sat across from her as she asked to speak to Captain Kirk right away. At the sound of the Captain's voice, Spock said, "Can you give us your present location, Captain?"

Whatever was going on down there, whatever this neural neutralizer was, Doctor McCoy and Counselor Buckingham appeared right to be concerned. If a device that could cause an intelligent, rational man to become what Van Gelder was existed on Tantalus, then Doctor Adams would have to be investigated very thoroughly.

"In Doctor Adams's study, Mr. Spock," the Captain said. "Why?"

Spock and Vivian exchanged a look over the intercom.

"Then you are with Doctor Adams now," he clarified.

"Affirmative."

Vivian licked her lips, tapping her fingers on her lap as she said, "Captain, we've gotten a bit more out of Doctor Van Gelder, something about a thing called a neural neutralizer."

"Yes," the Captain said, completely unconcerned, barely even curious. "He was injured there. I've seen the room. Doctor Adams explained the mistake Van Gelder made. Go ahead, Counselor Buckingham, Mr. Spock. Anything further?"

The two of them stared at each other over the intercom. Vivian seemed very concerned, and Spock frankly was at a loss. From the words of Van Gelder, which had yet to prove themselves as false, whatever happened with the neural neutralizer was not a mistake or an accident, but something forced upon him, something causing him great pain and probably turning him into the madman he had become. But if Doctor Adams was sitting right there, any such suggestion….

"What do we do?" Vivian whispered.

"Surely the Doctor has told him one story," Spock said softly back, too quietly for the intercom to pick up. "Our doctor has told us another, or part of it."

Doctor McCoy sat down with them to listen better.

"Van Gelder told us this at great personal cost," Vivian said, glancing over Spock's shoulder at the muttering man with sad eyes. "A lie would not cause him that much pain."

"I do not believe he is lying," Spock said, and as soon as he said the words he decided they must, logically, be true. The only one who had concealed any truth willingly was Doctor Adams. Doctor Van Gelder seemed desperate to explain to them, but incapable of doing so for some reason.

"Stand by, Mr. Spock, Counselor." They waited in near silence for a moment before Captain Kirk said, "Doctor Adams has left with some things to attend to. What is it, Mr. Spock?"

"Van Gelder is extremely agitated, Captain," Spock said quickly, "and warns that you are in danger."

A second female voice, one Spock did not recognize but assumed was the Doctor sent with the Captain said, "Oh, that's foolish."

Spock raised his eyebrows slightly, but they raised much higher as Vivian, looking a bit angry sat forward and said archly, "I'm sorry, Captain, please repeat. We seem to have had some interference."

Doctor McCoy snorted, and Vivian looked pleased with herself. Humans were very strange at times.

"Well, Counselor," Captain Kirk said, "tell McCoy the technical expert you two sent along with me insists that any concern is unjustified. According to Adams, Van Gelder created his own problem."

The voice of Doctor Noel was heard again, this time more clearly, saying, "He's suffering from neuro-synapse damage, as if his brain were short-circuited. It's no wonder he's having delusions."

Counselor Buckingham took a deep breath, her eyes flashing sharply, and she opened her mouth to say something that would undoubtedly be harsh and biting toward the other doctor, but Spock shook his head and she exhaled quickly.

"McCoy here," Doctor McCoy said, leaning forward. "Received an understood." He gave them a concerned look. "But we still have some doubts up here, Captain. Can you tell us any more?"

"Not really," the Captain said, for the first time sounding slightly unsure of herself.

"When do you plan to beam back up, Captain?" Spock asked.

Under her breath, Vivian muttered, "So I can think of a reason to demote Helen." Spock's eyebrows twitched upward again.

"I think we'll spend the night here, Mr. Spock."

"No!" Van Gelder cried suddenly from his bed. "No, no, no."

Almost as though she had expected this particular outburst, Counselor Buckingham sprang to her feet and crossed the room, speaking in her most soothing voice, attempting to calm the man.

"And you will continue to check in every four hours?" Spock asked. It was the best they could do, if the Captain saw no sign of danger.

"Affirmative. Kirk out."

"No!" Van Gelder continued to cry. "No, don't let them! You must warn your Captain. No!" he yelled, thrashing against the restraints, lashing out at Vivian. "No! Don't let him stay! Don't let him stay! Don't!" He actually struck the Counselor in his vigor and Spock and McCoy hurried forward, Spock pulling her out of the line of fire, the Doctor preparing the hypo. "No," Doctor Van Gelder continued earnestly, looking abashed, struggling to calm himself. "No. Don't hypo me. Please, don't hypo me." Vivian touched Doctor McCoy's hand and he slowly put down the needle. "I'll try not to fight. I'll try. But you must listen." Vivian sat down beside him again, shaking off Spock, taking the patient's hand. He gripped her hand eagerly, but not with force as he had before. "Warn your Captain," he told her earnestly. "Doctor Adams. Doc – Doctor Adams will destroy."

"Destroy how?" Spock prompted. "What?"

Van Gelder looked at him, his eyes slightly out of focus as he struggled to maintain calm and think of his message at once.

"Right death."

_Counselor's Log, supplemental. After much discussion and consideration, First Officer Spock has agreed – although reluctantly – to use an ancient Vulcan technique to probe into Doctor Van Gelder's mind. It may be the only way to determine possible risk to Captain Kirk._

Vivian was sick of the sound of Doctor McCoy's voice. She rarely spent so much of her day around a single person, even on days where she was booked solid in Sickbay. The whole matter of the state of Doctor Van Gelder already had her on edge, and she was furious with Doctor Noel for fawning over Adams. Vivian hadn't approved of Helen's assignment to the case, but she had to sign off anyway, because Helen was technically the most qualified.

"Spock," McCoy said, "if there's the slightest possibility it might help."

"I've never used it on a human, Doctor."

Even though Spock had agreed to use the Vulcan mind-meld technique, he was still behaving very much like the matter was in debate, and Vivian was in no mood for this. They didn't have time for debates, logical, illogical, circumlogical. She really didn't care.

"If there's any way we an look into this man's mind," McCoy pressed, "to see if what he's seeing is real or delusion-"

"It's a hidden thing to the Vulcan people, part of our private lives."

There was the other shoe dropping. Vivian dug her nails into her thighs slightly to calm herself. Letting Spock have his cultural privacy was one thing where her research was concerned. That was only polite, only fair. He would be advancing her knowledge and she would be letting him speak on his own terms, whenever he decided he was ready to speak at all. But this was something different, lives possibly at stake and a man's delicate mental state already hanging in the balance.

"Now look, Spock," McCoy reasoned, "Jamie Kirk could be in real trouble. Will it work or not?"

Before Spock could give another roundabout answer, Vivian sprung to her feet and crossed to the cot swiftly.

"It has a better chance of working than any other means at my disposal," she said coolly. "That's really all that concerns me at the moment. Don't make me order you, Mr. Spock, because I can on this. And I absolutely will. While on this ship, Doctor Van Gelder is my patient, and Captain Kirk and Doctor Noel are part of the crew I'm sworn to minister to, and their safety and well-being are more important to me on any day at all than your privacy, Mr. Spock, as much as I respect you." He stared back at her with an unchanging expression that she decided was resignation and she turned to the patient on the cot looking up at them with quivering hands.

"Now," she continued, "Doctor Van Gelder, Mr. Spock has informed me that this may be dangerous, and with humans it might even be untested. We have no idea what might happen. I need to know that you understand the risk before we begin. He'll have to make pressure changes in nerves and blood vessels in your head."

The doctor nodded, looking up at Spock earnestly and saying, "You must open my mind. Let me warn you and explain to you."

Spock stretched his fingers and Vivian backed away. He said, "This will not affect either of you, Counselor, Doctor, only the person I touch. It is not hypnosis."

"We understand," McCoy said, and they watched as Spock touched Van Gelder's face, a finger at a time, until his fingertips were spanning around the upper part of Van Gelder's head. "Good," McCoy said, nudging Vivian and pointing at the scanner. "The reading's leveling."

So it was.

"You begin to feel a strange euphoria," Spock said in a low voice. "Your body floats."

"Yes," Van Gelder said softly. "I begin to feel it."

"Open your mind. We move together. Our minds sharing the same thoughts. What is our name? Who are we?"

"We are Simon Van Gelder."

Vivian had pulled out her mental scanner and done a few quick scans. Neither man seemed to notice her actions, so fully entranced in their joined minds and the journey they were going on through Van Gelder's head. Neural energy was actually channeling through Spock's fingers, something Vivian would have thought impossible.

"This is incredible," she breathed. "I wish he'd let me take notes."

But that had been the one condition under which Spock had agreed in the first place, that she was not allowed to take any verbal, audio, or video record of the event. Vulcans took their privacy very seriously.

"Doctor Adams," Spock said. "The neural neutralizer. What did he do to us?"

"He can reshape any mind he chooses," Van Gelder said impassively. Vivian took a step back at this statement. "He used it to erase our memories, put his own thoughts there. He was surprised it took so much power. We fought him, remember?" Her heart was racing, her throat tightening. "But we grew so tired, so blank, so open, that any thought he placed there became our thoughts. Our mind became like a sponge, needing thoughts, begging. Empty. Loneliness. So lonely to be sitting there, empty, wanting any word from him. Love."

"Yes," Spock chanted.

"Hate."

"Yes."

"Live."

"Yes."

"Die."

"Yes."

Vivian felt chilled and she turned to McCoy. They needed to stop this. They knew what they needed to know, and Kirk was in danger. "Bones-"

McCoy shushed her, watching and listening intently as they continued to chant.

"Such agony to be empty," Van Gelder muttered.

"Empty," Spock repeated.

"Lonely."

"Lonely."

"So empty."

"Empty."

"So empty."

But that was more than enough for Vivian, whose hands had twitched at this horrible chant of painful emptiness. She put down her scanner and crept a bit closer.

"Spock?" she said gently, in her work voice. "Mr. Spock, can you hear me?"

"Empty," he muttered again."

"Spock?" she repeated, a little more forcefully. "We must warn them, there isn't time."

"Warn them," he said, his eyebrows raising, and he pulled away abruptly. "Warn…." He looked up at her, his eyes wide and almost afraid. "Doctor, order them to ready the transporter at once."

Vivian hurried after him, following him to the Transporter Room, not saying a word about the eerie, horrific thing she had just witnessed.

"Berkeley, beam to the colony immediately," Spock said, stepping onto the platform. He blinked at Vivian with apparent confusion as she followed him up, standing on another disc. "Counselor, this is quite unnecessary."

"And if something has already happened to the Captain?" Vivian said, wishing she hadn't sounded so stubborn. He would see it as a weakness, and she had been working so hard to control her emotions around Spock, to prove she wasn't weak, that she had some understanding of his culture. "You'll need a psychological expert."

He simply stared at her, unable to refute the logic.

"Engage," Spock said, as McCoy entered the room.

Berkeley shook his head and said, "I'm sorry sir, they aren't answering any hailing and the force field is still up.

"Emergency channel D," Spock ordered.

Berkeley tried to hail on that channel, but shook his head.

"It's no good, Mr. Spock. I can't break through their force field and no one's answering."

"Keep trying."

Vivian squeezed her hands together, feeling her fingers twitch again. Now was not the time for such things. She might need to fire on someone, and her hands needed to be steady.

Suddenly. Berkeley looked up and said, stunned, "Mr. Spock, the force field is gone. I can send you right down to the source of the interruption."

"Do," Vivian ordered, pulling out her phaser. She looked over at McCoy and said, "Gather a security team to follow, Doctor. Energize."

The sensation of beaming down to the planet's surface was a short one, and she and Spock found themselves in a control room. Spock pushed a few buttons and then called up to the ship, saying, "Enterprise, this is Spock. Force field has been eliminated." He turned on the main power switch and they moved through the corridors, looking for quarters. They found the Captain not too far away, awkwardly embracing Helen Noel, who seemed more than a little distressed.

"Doctor Adams did this to you," she said, pushing Kirk away.

"Doctor Adams?" the Captain said, and she looked around to see Spock and Vivian staring at her. "Doctor A – The treatment room. Follow me."

/-/

Vivian's main reason for getting a Tactical and Strategic full degree was that she could work on a starship, and while the challenges of being on a starship were the primary draw, the secondary one was not having to work in a hospital or penal colony like this one. Even though they were nothing like the penal colonies of old, the white, sterile environment made Vivian feel distinctly uncomfortable.

The room that held the neural neutralizer was the worst, and when they arrived she saw a sight that shocked her completely, so much that she actually took a step backward into Mr. Spock, who immediately grabbed her shoulders to steady her, perhaps expecting her to faint. Vivian was not faint. Vivian was horrified.

McCoy entered and said, "Jamie," as the captain was turning off the machine, the monstrous machine that had ruined the mind of Doctor Van Gelder, perhaps beyond repair.

"The power came on," Kirk said simply, a little stunned, a little dazed.

McCoy rushed into the room, kneeling next to the prone form that Vivian could have recognized anywhere after her schooling in psychiatry: Doctor Adams.

"He's dead, Captain," McCoy said after a moment, and Vivian's stomach churned.

"The machine wasn't on high enough to kill," Helen Noel said, puzzled, horrified.

"It doesn't have to be," Vivian said softly, gripping her hands together. "Imagine being alone with an empty mind long enough, no friend, not even a torturer. The body is simply a vessel for the mind, Doctor."

Helen and Vivian looked at each other, the two pairs of soft brown eyes meeting in a look of apology and forgiveness for the pettiness they had engaged in while so many important things had been happening.

"I understand," Helen said.

/-/

Vivian had been able to rehabilitate both Captain Kirk and Doctor Van Gelder so that they were functioning to their full mental capacity, uninhibited by the damage done by Doctor Adams's neural neutralizer, but the effects would take time to fade, and she had warned both that the memories of their time under the beam would never leave.

Doctor Van Gelder told Vivian that he did not want to forget. It served as a potent reminder to him of what a man could become if he believed in his own living legend.

The thought of the beam was chilling, but Vivian had some reason to be thankful for the whole event. She leaned against the edge of the panel by Spock's sensors after dealing with some transmissions from the planet's surface and said softly, "I have a question for you."

"I expected you would," Spock replied in an equally soft voice, not looking up from his screen. She leaned closer.

"Can I scan your fingers?"

He jerked his head to look up at her, absolutely no understanding in his eyes, but slowly, he held out a hand for her to scan with a neural scanner.

But nothing.

"Well, that's disappointing," she muttered.

"May I ask what you hoped to find, Counselor?" he asked, looking up at her, still speaking quietly.

"When you were doing the mind-meld," she said, glancing around to be sure no one was listening, "I scanned you both. And your fingers were actually transmitting the neural pathways. It was…it was going through your fingers. But you don't have any neural pathways in your fingers. So that shouldn't be possible."

Vivian watched him expectantly. Spock seemed to know everything. Surely he would give her some explanation for this bizarre puzzle that had caught her fancy. TI wasn't like she was asking to dissect him to figure out how it worked.

"I don't know," he said finally, glancing down to adjust one of the sensors before turning back to her. "I have not done study on the subject. It is likely that no biological research has been done on it, and if it has been done at all, any records would be kept at the Vulcan Science Institute."

Vivian felt a grin tickling the corners of her lips as she thought of how to word a transmission to Vulcan requesting access to Vulcan biological records. Or should it be psychological records. Psychiatric records?

She was halfway through some sort of request to improve the standard of care for Vulcans serving on Federation starships when Spock actually smiled at her. It was brief, perhaps even imagined, but when she blinked it was gone again and he said, "They will not permit you to see their records, Counselor. There is no use asking."

Her grin grew of its own accord and she said, "Now, Spock, would it be logical to neglect a valuable scientific inquiry just because results are unlikely?"

Perhaps her tone was slightly teasing, but he was considering this statement when the Bridge doors opened and the Captain stepped onto the Bridge. Vivian quickly crossed to the helm. Spock stood swiftly and said, "There was a message from Tantalus Colony, sir. It was from Van Gelder. He thought you'd like to know the treatment room had been dismantled and the equipment destroyed."

"Thank you," Kirk said softly, sitting in her chair.

"It's hard to believe," Doctor McCoy said, following the Captain in, "that a man could die of loneliness."

"Not when you've sat in that room," Captain Kirk said, staring at the viewscreen, perhaps recalling the emptiness. "Take us out of orbit, Counselor. Ahead warp factor one."

"Acknowledged," Vivian said, inputting the order into the helm. "Warp factor one, Captain."


	6. The Corbomite Maneuver

Vivian could feel herself beginning to doze a little over the sensors as Spock, who had the Bridge, was pacing between her and the Captain's chair, his voice lulling her to sleep.

"One degree to overlap. Stand by to photograph. Now."

The Captain was getting a physical done, and Vivian had scheduled herself on the Bridge at Doctor McCoy's request specifically to give Captain Kirk no excuses to put the physical off any longer.

"Three days of this now, sir," Lieutenant Bailey said from Navigation. He'd been recently moved to the post and Vivian barely knew him, but he seemed a bit green to her. "Other ships must have made star maps of some of this.

"Negative, Lieutenant," Spock replied, sitting down in the captain's chair. "We are the first to reach this far."

"Sir," Sulu said, with sudden concern, "contact with an object. It's moving toward us. No visual contact yet."

Vivian licked her lips, leaning over the sensors, but whatever it was had yet to reach the edge of sensor range. She could get no readings on it.

"Deflectors," Spock ordered. "Full intensity."

"It's coming at light speed," Sulu said.

"Collision course," Bailey said.

The sensors were picking up the device, but she couldn't get a lock on it to gather more useful information. It did appear to be moving in a straight trajectory, however.

"Mr. Sulu," she said, a sharp voice she hadn't used before on the Enterprise, the one she'd developed when babysitting her younger siblings and perfected in tactical training, "perform evasive maneuvers. Could be debris of some kind."

Sulu did as directed, and quickly reported, "Object changing direction, too, Counselor. Keeps coming at us." He flicked a few channels on, but shook his head. "I'm getting no signal from it, sir."

"Still collision course," Bailey said. "Deflectors aren't stopping it."

"Sound alarm," Spock announced. The security station flicked on the alarm. But only a moment later:

"It's slowly down, Mr. Spock," Sulu reported.

"Countermand alarm," Spock said, and the alarm immediately halted. "All engines full stop."

"Visual contact," Bailey said, adjusting the screen magnification.

Vivian turned to find a large, multi-colored cube hovering in their field of vision. The colors were flashing, whirring, like the screen of a new-style computer collecting information.

"Maybe it's like a startled animal," she suggested. "Surprised to see us. If we're gentle…. Try going around it slowly, Mr. Sulu."

Sulu nodded, adjusting course gently, maneuvering the Enterprise over at a crawling pace, but the cube shifted right along with him, keeping pace exactly.

Not a startled animal, then.

"It's blocking the way!" Bailey cried, horrified.

"Quite unnecessary to raise your voice, Mr. Bailey," Spock said disapprovingly. "All engines stop. Sound the alert."

"Bridge to all decks," Sulu said, adjusting his earpiece. "Condition alert. All decks, condition alert. Captain Kirk to the Bridge."

_Captain's Log, stardate 1512.2. On our third day of star mapping, an unexplained cubical object blocked our vessel's path. On the Bridge, Mr. Spock and Counselor Buckingham immediately ordered general alert. My location, Sickbay. Quarterly physical check._

Spock motioned for Vivian to join him in the center of the Bridge and she did so, leaning in as he said in a very low voice, "The Captain is delayed in responding."

No concern in his voice, just stating something that was uncharacteristic of Jamara Kirk.

Vivian felt her lips twitching a little in amusement and she whispered, "No doubt McCoy is holding her in the physical until completed unless we have a verified emergency on our hands. I understand the Captain is reluctant to undergo physicals."

"Kirk here," said the Captain's voice over the intercom. "What's going on?"

Vivian moved to computer as Spock said, "Have a look at this, Captain."

"Sending her the visual now," Vivian reported as the feed from the viewer was transmitted to the screen in Sickbay.

"What's that?" Kirk asked.

"Undetermined," Spock reported. Whatever it is, it's blocking our way. When we move, it moves as well.

"A vessel of some kind?"

"Negative. More some type of device."

"I'll be right up."

Vivian shifted and engaged her comm panel.

"All decks alert," she said, refreshing the order. "Small security team at the ready near engineering. All decks alert. All decks alert."

Presumably from the turbo lift, they received another communication from the Captain.

"Captain to Bridge."

"Spock here."

"Any changes?"

"Negative. Whatever it is, it seems to just want to hold us here."

"Any indication of danger from it?"

Vivian flicked on her own speaker and put in an earpiece.

"Buckingham here, Captain," she said. "No indication of danger, as long as we don't move, but can't be said for certain if we decide to take any action."

"Hold her steady then," the Captain replied. "I'll change first. Captain out."

Vivian took out the earpiece and adjusted the sensors to settings more likely to yield some results for Spock when he took them over to report. She swept a bit of hair out of her eyes and glanced up at the screen again at the flashing cube.

"All decks have reported green, Mr. Bailey," Spock said, and she turned to see him watching the back of the new Navigator very closely.

"Yes, sir," Bailey said, glancing down at his panel.

"And when the Captain arrives, she will expect a full report on-"

"On the cube's range and position," Bailey said irritably. "I'll have it by then. Raising my voice back there doesn't mean I was scared or couldn't do my job. It means I happen to have a human thing called an adrenaline gland."

Spock, never missing a beat, simply turned his eyes to the cube and said, "It does sound most inconvenient, however. Have you considered having it removed?"

Vivian covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she fought the grin quivering at her lips. Sulu didn't bother hiding his smile as Bailey grumbled, "Very funny."

Sulu leaned over and said softly, "You try to cross brains with Spock, he'll cut you to pieces every time."

"Mr. Spock," Vivian said quickly, "senior officers to the Bridge?"

"Yes, Counselor, please."

She put on the earpiece again, calling up the senior officers. Scotty had just arrived when Captain Kirk called in again.

"Captain to Bridge."

"Buckingham here," she said. Before shifting the communication to speaker she said, "Mr. Spock, it's the Captain."

"Signs of life?" the Captain said, her voice coming in on speaker. Vivian took off the earpiece once more, wishing they could find a way to make the thing more comfortable.

"Negative," Spock replied.

"No further movement either, Captain," Vivian said.

"Have the department heads meet me on the Bridge," Kirk said.

Spock glanced over at the assembled senior officers and said, "Already standing by."

Vivian and Spock collected readings and continued to attempt communication with the cube, but there was no progress when the Captain entered. Vivian had moved to the communication panel and Spock had been examining the sensor data.

"Reporting, sir," Spock said. "Sensors show it is solid, but its composition is unknown to us."

"Communications, Counselor."

"Hailing frequencies still open, sir," Vivian said, trying to clear a fuzzy frequency as she spoke. "We have received no message, continuing to monitor."

"Navigation."

"Distance from us, fifteen hundred ninety-three meters, position constant," Bailey reported.

Sulu then said, "Each of its edges measures one hundred seven meters. Mass, a little under eleven thousand metric tons."

"Scotty," Kirk said.

"Mode of power?" Scott said, shaking his head. "Beats me what makes it go."

"I'll buy speculation."

"I'd sell if I had any. That's a solid cube. How something like that can sense us coming, block us, move when we move, well it beats me. That's my report."

"Counselor's report," Vivian said, flicking a strand of hair from her eyes, "is that it's obvious motivation is blocking us from moving forward, but what is behind that motivation is a complete mystery, Captain."

"Life sciences makes the same report," Doctor McCoy said before the Captain could turn to him.

"Sir," Bailey said, "we're going to just let it hold us here? We've got phaser weapons. I vote we blast it."

"I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Bailey," Kirk said, sitting down, frowning, "when this becomes a democracy."

_Captain's Log, stardate 1513.8. Star maps reveal no indication of habitable planets nearby. Origin and purpose of the cube still unknown. We've been here, held motionless, for eighteen hours._

The briefing room was cold, or perhaps Vivian just felt cold because she hadn't slept in almost twenty hours. She would struggle to concentrate soon, but if they found themselves in a battle situation, she might be required to take temporary command at any time.

"Anything further, gentlemen?" Captain Kirk asked the department heads, who sat around the table. Spock sat on the Captain's left hand, Vivian at her right. Because in a potential battle situation, Vivian outranked Spock, and had the right to give him orders. It was the only thing she hated about getting the tactical and strategic clearance she received: sometimes she had to use it.

"I believe it adds up to either one of two possibilities," Spock said. "First, a space buoy of some kind."

"Reasonable," Vivian agreed, curling her nails into her chair to wake herself up. "Herding us back to where we came from. The second?"

"Flypaper."

Kirk's head jerked slightly at this word, but then she nodded and said, "And you wouldn't recommend sticking around."

"Negative," Spock agreed. "It would make us appear too weak."

"It's time for action, gentlemen," Kirk said, leaning forward, pressing her palms on the table. "Mr. Bailey-"

Bailey, young, eager, and foolish flick on the intercom.

"Bridge to Phaser Gun Crew," he said.

"Countermand," Captain Kirk said sharply. "I'll select what kind of action."

Bailey looked as though he'd been smacked, and Vivian certainly felt a bit more awake.

"I'm sorry, sir," Bailey spluttered. "I thought you meant-"

"Are you explaining, Mr. Bailey?" Kirk said, her voice still hard and cold. "I haven't requested an explanation. Now, as I was about to say. Navigator, plot us a spiral course away from the cube."

"Yes sir," Bailey said, slightly sheepish, slightly churlish. "We'll try pulling away from it."

"Understood," Vivian said, flicking the communication back on. "Bridge to Engine Room, stand by." She shifted to full-ship. "All decks alert we're attempting to pull away."

/-/

Vivian paced between the communications panel and Spock's sensors, listening rather than looking at the cube. She knew her own limitations.

"Course plotted and laid in, sir," Bailey said.

"Engage, Mr. Sulu. Quarter speed."

"Point two five, sir. Still blocking us."

"Let's see if it'll give way," the Captain said. "Ahead half speed."

"Point five oh, sir."

Leaning over Spock's sensors, Vivian said a flashing light.

"Captain," she said, "increasing radiation in the short end of the spectrum."

"All stop," the Captain ordered immediately. "Hold position."

"It's still coming toward us," Bailey said, his voice excited and anxious. "Range, one hundred ninety meters."

"Radiation increasing," Spock said. Vivian turned to watch the cube on screen.

"Power astern," Kirk ordered. "Half speed."

"Half speed," Sulu echoed.

"Radiation nearing the tolerance level," Spock said, and Vivian tightened her grip on the back of Spock's chair.

"Still coming," Bailey said, his voice growing increasingly tense, "gaining on us."

"Recommend increase speed, Captain," Vivian said, surprised at the coolness of her own voice.

"Engines astern, full speed."

"Full speed," Sulu echoed.

"Range one hundred twenty-five meters now," Bailey reported.

"Helm, give us warp speed," Captain Kirk demanded.

"Warp one, sir."

"Radiation at the tolerance level," Spock said.

"At warp two, sir," Vivian said, glancing back down at Spock's indicators. "Warp three and increasing."

"Radiation passing the tolerance level," Spock said, while Vivian dug her nails into the back of his seat. Her thumbs were beginning to twitch. "Entering lethal zone."

"Range fifty-one meters and still closing, sir," Bailey said.

Captain Kirk leaned forward and said, "Phaser Crew, stand ready."

There was a short pause before Bailey reported, "Phaser Crew reports ready, sir."

"Growing," Spock said. "We can only take a few more seconds of this."

"Lock phasers on target," Kirk said. For a moment there was no action, as Bailey stared up at the screen. "Mr. Bailey, lock phasers. Counselor Buckingham will give signal."

Bailey looked down quickly, returning to his task.

"Phasers locked on target, sir," he said, and Vivian turned to the sensor grid. "At point blank range and closing."

She waited just a moment, as trained, for the last possible moment to give such an order, and then felt her throat tighten around the words, "Fire main phasers."

_Captain's Log, stardate 1514.0. The cube has been destroyed. Ship's damage minor, but my next decision major. Probe on ahead or turn back._

"Nothing, Captain," Spock said. From the way he shifted to look at his sensor screen, Vivian suspected he'd been watching her wring her hands together. Hopefully he hadn't seen her thumbs twitching. "No contacts, no objects in any direction."

"Care to speculate on what we find if we go on ahead?" Kirk asked.

"Speculate?" Spock asked, turning and looking at the Captain with mild surprise. "No. Logically, we'll discover the intelligence which sent out the cube."

The corners of the Captain's lips twitched at the mention of logic, and Vivian could feel her hands relaxing at the familiar and amusing verbal patterns of Mr. Spock.

"Intelligence different from us," Kirk asked, "or superior?"

"From that specimen, "Vivian said slowly, "I would say both. And if you want to ask what I think ought-"

"No," Captain Kirk said sharply, looking at the screen. Nothing but stars where the cube had been. "I don't. The mission of the Enterprise is to seek out and contact alien life."

Spock tilted his head slightly and said, "Has it occurred to you that there's a certain inefficiency in constantly questioning us on things you've already made up your mind about?"

Vivian actually smiled at that, feeling her whole body relax with the expression, and the Captain smiled even brighter.

"It gives me emotional security," Kirk said in a slightly teasing voice. "Navigator, set course ahead."

"Plotted," Bailey said. "Laid in, sir."

"Engage."

"Warp one, sir."

"Mr. Bailey," Kirk said in her disciplinary tone, just as McCoy caught Vivian's attention from back by the turbolift. He was concerned about Bailey, as was Vivian, but both knew better than to interrupt Jamie Kirk when she used that tone. "Phaser crews were sluggish. You were slow in locking them into your directional beam. Helmsman, engineering decks could have been faster too. Counselor, program a series of simulated attacks and evasion maneuvers. I want the Bridge to keep repeating the exercise until we're proficient, gentlemen."

"Of course, sir," Vivian said, moving to the helm and licking her lips, pulling her hands apart to quickly plot a series of attacks and maneuvers. She had a favorite from her days at the Academy, one that had been retired as a training exercise since her time there, so it wouldn't be familiar to Bailey like it was to her. She'd used it frequently on the green young things they got on the Excalibur. "That should be more than sufficient," she said, stepping back.

"Yes, counselor," Bailey said, glancing at the sequence and wincing slightly.

Vivian took her cue from Doctor McCoy and she followed the Captain to the turbolift.

"Your timing is lousy, Jamie," McCoy muttered as they stepped into the turbolift together. "Your men are tired."

"Captain's quarters," Kirk ordered. "Aren't you the one who always says a little suffering is good for the soul?"

McCoy looked startled and said, "I never say that."

Vivian was fairly certain she'd heard him say it before, but that was hardly the point. She could hear Bailey's voice and the sirens.

"This is the Bridge. Prepare for a simulated attack."

"Vivian and I are especially worried about Bailey," McCoy pressed on. "Navigator's position's rough enough for a seasoned man."

"I think he'll cut it," Kirk said dismissively.

Vivian exchanged a look with McCoy and said, "I'm really not so certain. Is it perhaps possible, Captain, that you see a younger version of you in him? It's not uncommon for people to-"

"On the double, deck five!" Bailey barked over the intercom. "Give me a green light."

"Why, Counselor," Kirk said facetiously, "have you been reading your textbooks?"

"We don't need textbooks to know you could have promoted him too fast," McCoy argued. "Listen to that voice."

"Condition alert. Battle stations." They stepped into the Captain's quarters and sat down at the table. "Engineering, deck five, report. Phaser crews, come on, let's get with it. Phaser station two, where's your green light?"

"What's next?" Kirk said, leaning back in her chair. "They're not machines, Jamie?"

"Well, they're not," McCoy said irritably. "After what they've been through-"

"Doctor McCoy, I've heard you say that man is ultimately superior to any mechanical device."

Vivian blinked. While she could imagine Bones saying that, she couldn't actually recall him saying such a thing. Of course, that could be her own exhaustion and anxiety, but she said, "Are you sure?"

"I could have sworn I heard him say that." A signal came in on the intercom. "Kirk here."

Spock's voice said, "Exercise rating, Captain. Ninety-four percent."

"Let's try for one hundred, Mr. Spock."

"Agreed."

Vivian would have rolled her eyes, but she knew it was the right thing to do as much as they did. Every commander should push for one hundred percent battle readiness from his crew. But that wasn't the same as pushing certain crew members past their limits.

"What are you going to do with that six percent," McCoy demanded, "when they give it to you, Jamie?"

Vivian tapped the pads of her fingertips on the table and said in a wry voice, "I imagine she'll take it and-"

Before she could make some remark she would likely regret, the door opened suddenly and Janice Rand came in carrying a food tray.

"Excuse me, sir," she said cheerfully, setting it down. "It's past time you had something to eat, sir."

She took off the covering and revealed salad. Vivian raised her eyebrows at Doctor McCoy, who just shrugged at her. Vivian knew his game, but as usual he was picking a poor time to play it.

"What the devil is this?" Kirk said, looking at the plate with shock and revulsion. "Green leaves?"

"It's dietary salad, sir," Janice said, confused. "Doctor McCoy ordered your diet card changed. I thought you knew."

"Your weight was up a couple of pounds, remember?" McCoy said in a falsely innocent voice. Vivian would have laughed if she wasn't already saying things the Captain didn't want to hear.

"Will you stop hovering over me, Yeoman?" Kirk snapped, obviously in need of a bit of sleep herself.

"Well, I'll change it if you don't like it, sir," Janice said, confused and a bit distressed.

"Bring some for the Doctor, too," Kirk said, narrowing her eyes at McCoy. Vivian turned with a small smile to look at McCoy, who squirmed a little in his seat and put on his false, sweet smile.

"Oh, no, no," he said earnestly to Janice. "No, I never eat until the crew eats."

Vivian shook her head, struggling not to laugh as she turned to Janice and said, "I think that will be all, Yeoman. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Janice said, a bit confused, but she left as requested.

"This is the Bridge," Bailey's voice said once more. "All decks prepare to better reaction time on second simulated attack."

"When I find the headquarters genius that assigned me that woman," Kirk began in a very frustrated voice, and McCoy and Vivian exchanged amused glances.

"What's the matter, Jamie?" McCoy prodded. "Don't trust yourself?"

Kirk was poking her fork aimlessly at the dietary salad and said, "I've already got a woman to worry about. Her name's the Enterprise."

A common view among captains, Vivian knew, but there were all sorts of psychological pitfalls to such a view. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to point them out.

"Engineering decks alert. Phaser crews, lets-"

"Countermand that," Sulu's voice suddenly said, and the three of them perked up instantly at the urgency of his voice. "All decks to battle stations. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill."

The Captain leaned over to her intercom again and flicked on the line to the Bridge.

"Kirk here with the Counselor."

Spock answered, "We're picking up an object, sir. Much larger, coming toward us."

Vivian didn't think about giving the Captain time to answer. She didn't think of anything at all, just instinctively responded, "Acknowledged, Spock. We're coming."

/-/

If they weren't already dealing with a lot to focus, Spock would have liked to take an opportunity to examine Counselor Buckingham's behavior under pressure. This was her first battle situation onboard the Enterprise, the very thing she had been selected for, and she kept gripping her hands together ever more tightly as the situation progressed. Her perpetually tense shoulders were almost unhealthily tense, and while Spock knew she'd gone many hours without sleep, her human adrenal gland appeared to be keeping her incredibly alert.

He had no time to examine her at the moment, however. She and the Captain were waiting for the report on the object.

"Exceptionally strong contact," he said as the Captain sat in her chair and Vivian stepped with graceful strides into the center of the Bridge. "No visual yet. Distant spectrograph. Metallic, similar to the cube. Much greater energy reading."

"There, sir," Sulu said, establishing visual contact, something so large it filled the whole screen.

"Half speed," Captain Kirk ordered. "Prepare for evasive action.

"Reducing to warp two, sir."

The ship was jostled considerably, and Vivian pulled herself over to Spock's station, looking at the sensors.

"Tractor beam, Captain," she said. "It's a firm grip."

"Engines overloading, sir," Sulu said.

"All engines stop," Kirk commanded.

"All engines stopped, sir."

"Phaser crews, stand ready."

Lieutenant Bailey perked up, prepared to prove to the Captain that he was deserving of his post.

"Bridge to phaser crews, stand ready."

A crewman replied over intercom, saying, "Forward phaser, will comply. All weapons at operational ready."

Spock completed his readings of the object and the word "fascinating" slipped out of his lips before he realized he'd said it.

"You have a mass reading, Mr. Spock?" Vivian Buckingham asked, quirking a pale eyebrow at him.

"Reading goes off my scale, Counselor. Must be a mile in diameter."

"Over five thousand meters away," Bailey said, astonished, "and it still fills the screen."

"Reduce the image," Kirk ordered. "Let me see all of it."

Sulu complied and said, "Magnification two five, sir." But it still wasn't enough. "Magnification one eight point five, sir."

Even in full view, perhaps especially in full view, the ship was massive and imposing, but nothing that the Federation had any record of.

"Ship to ship," the Captain ordered, and went to the comm panel.

"Hailing frequencies are open, Captain," she said, adjusting her earpiece and sitting down.

"This is the United Earth ship Enterprise," Captain Kirk said. "We convey greetings and await your reply." She was distracted when Bailey started suddenly. "What is it, Mr. Bailey?"

"A message coming over my navigation beam," he said, as though he couldn't believe such a thing.

"Pick it up."

"Switching, sir," Sulu said, putting the navigation beam over speaker.

An imposing voice continued a speech it had begun, saying, "And trespassed into our star systems. This is Balok, Commander of the flagship Fesarius of the First Federation. Your vessel, obviously the product of a primitive and savage civilization, having ignored a warning buoy and having then destroyed it, has demonstrated your intention is not peaceful. We are now considering the disposition of your ship and the life aboard."

"Ship to ship," Kirk demanded.

"Hailing frequencies still open, sir," Sulu said.

"This is the Captain of the Enterprise speaking. The warning nature of your space buoy was unknown to us. Our vessel was blocked. When we attempted to disengage-"

Spock had been paying so much attention to the sensor screen that he was caught off guard when Vivian suddenly dashed to his side and said, "Captain, we're being probed, exceptionally strong sensors all over the ship." She was adjusting one of his screens, and Spock noticed that while her fingers were still steady, her thumbs had begun to twitch almost violently. "Engines, electrical-"

Balok interrupted, "No further communication will be accepted. If there is the slightest hostile move, your vessel will be destroyed immediately."

Vivian took a step back and clasped her hands together again, gripping at her twitching thumbs. Spock thought it more tactful for the moment to ignore this behavior and focused on the matter at hand.

"They're shutting off some of our systems, Captain," he reported, examining the progression of the First Federation ship. "Brilliant. Extremely sophisticated in their methods."

"Does the recorder marker have this on its tapes?" Kirk asked.

"Enough to warn other Earth ships," Spock said, catching the Captain's meaning. If they couldn't make the alien life understand their peaceful intent, it was better preserve the Federation from further hostile interaction in the sector.

"Mr. Bailey, dispatch recorder marker." But nothing was dispatched, and Spock turned to see Bailey staring up at the screen. "Mr. Bailey?"

The young Lieutenant started again and quickly pressed the eject button.

"Recorder marker dispatched, sir."

"Marker on course," Spock said, following it on the sensor screen. "Heading back the way we-"

A bang and a jostle knocked Vivian into Spock, and in the moment it took to make sure she was steady on her feet again, the marker had disappeared from his screen.

Balok's voice said, "Your recorder marker has been destroyed. You have been examined. Your ship must be destroyed. We make assumption you have a deity or deities or some such beliefs which comfort you. We therefore grant you ten Earth time periods known as minutes to make preparations."

Spock looked around at the Bridge, waiting for instruction. Captain Kirk was watching the ship with a thoughtful, concerned expression, and although Counselor Buckingham's face was tranquil and determined, her hands had come unclasped and were trembling violently from wrist to fingertip. She no longer seemed to notice or care if anyone else noticed.

"Locate that voice, Mr. Spock," she said softly. "Seeing my threat might comfort me."

The Bridge door opened as Spock turned back to his panel to see if he could do just that and Doctor McCoy and Mr. Scott entered looking slightly panicked.

"Balok's message," McCoy said when the Captain gave him a questioning look. "It was heard all over the ship."

Captain Kirk took a deep breath, steadied herself, and turned on the ship intercom.

"Captain to crew," she said, staring at the screen. "Those of you who have served for long on this vessel have encountered alien life forms. You know the greatest danger facing us is ourselves, an irrational fear of the unknown. But there's no such thing as the unknown, only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood. In most cases we have found that intelligence capable of a civilization is capable of understanding peaceful gestures. Surely a life form advanced enough for space travel is advanced enough to eventually understand our motives. All decks stand by. Captain out." She turned to Sulu. "Ship to ship."

"Hailing frequencies open, sir."

"This is the Captain of the USS Enterprise. We came seeking friendship but we have no wish to trespass. To demonstrate our goodwill, our vessel will now retreat the way we came. We-" A humming noise cut off her speech, and she shook her head slightly. "Lay in a course ahead, Mr. Bailey."

"What?" Bailey said, befuddled, and the Counselor and Doctor exchanged worried looks. "A course?"

Sulu leaned over and did the direction before saying, "Plotted and laid in, sir."

"Engine," the Captain said, "warp factor one."

Vivian, grasping her hands together again, said, "War – Captain, no response."

Mr. Scott hurried across to the Engineering panel to see if there was a problem with the engines specifically.

"Switch to impulse," Kirk commanded.

"All engine systems show dead," Sulu reported, "and weapon systems."

"Switching to screen," Spock said, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the trembling hands of Vivian Buckingham. "I believe I can get something visual."

As expected, he had located the source of the voice, and even showed a visual of an alien life form, blueish in color, with a head wider on top than bottom, rounded and very alien indeed.

"You are wasting time and effort," Balok said. "There is no escape. You have eight Earth minutes left.

"Vivian was curious to see how they appeared," Spock said by way of explanation to the Captain, who was, like the rest of the Bridge crew, staring at the figure with fascination.

"Yes, of course," Kirk replied.

Bailey on the other hand, was not interested or even appeased by knowing what they were facing. The visual seemed to agitate him, pull him out of his stupor, and he said, "I don't understand this. Spock's wasting time. Everybody else is just sitting around. Somebody's got to do something."

In her gentle voice associated with patients, Vivian said, "Calm down, Bailey."

But Bailey wasn't listening to anyone. "What do they want from us?" he demanded. "Let's find out what they want us to do."

"They want us to lose our heads," Captain Kirk said sharply.

"We've only got eight minutes left."

"Seven minutes and forty-five seconds," Sulu corrected, watching his chronometer.

"He's doing a countdown!" Bailey cried, despaired.

"Practically end of watch," McCoy said from the back of the Bridge, hinting at something to Vivian and Kirk, whose lips both tightened at these words. Bailey, however, was not finished on his frantic tirade.

"What, are you all out of your minds? End of watch? It's the end of everything. What are you, robots? Wound-up toy soldiers? Don't you know you're dying? Watch and regulations and orders. What do they mean?"

Vivian's hands were shaking so violently Spock wondered that she wasn't pained by the motion that was creeping up her forearms.

"Bailey," the Captain barked, "you're relieved! Escort him to his quarters, Doctor."

McCoy said, "Let's go," and they watched as Bailey, shamed by his behavior but still obviously upset with the circumstances, was led off the Bridge by the Doctor. As soon as they were gone, Vivian sat at the navigation station and clasped her hands together again, squeezing so tightly that Spock could see them going white.

"Shall we try ship to ship, Captain?" she suggested in a cool, collected voice.

"Hailing frequencies still open," Sulu offered.

Kirk nodded and said, "This is the Captain of the Enterprise speaking. It is the custom of Earth people to try and avoid misunderstanding whenever possible. We destroyed your space buoy as a simple act of self-preservation. When we attempted to move away from it, it emitted radiation harmful to our species. If you've examined our ship and its tapes, you know this to be true."

The humming noise occurred again and they waited in silence for some sort of further contact from Balok, and Spock watched as Vivian struggled to get her shaking hands under control, in spite of her face's absolute serenity.

Finally, Balok replied, "You now have seven minutes left."

/-/

"Four minutes, thirty seconds," Sulu said to the Bridge at large, and several people were beginning to share Bailey's annoyance with the countdown, in a more subdued manner.

"You have an annoying fascination for timepieces, Mr. Sulu," Scott said, and Vivian was gripping the edges of the navigation panel to keep her hands from shaking. She had been doing this steadily for so long that Spock could see her hands were quite white and sheening with sweat.

"Jamie," Spock said, but the Captain's response was covered by Balok giving them another update.

"Four minutes," the voice said coolly.

"Explaining gets us nowhere," Vivian said calmly, her hands adjusting their grip. "By now, any reasonable, rational being would understand we mean no harm."

Spock nodded in agreement.

"They must certainly be aware by now," he remarked, "that we are totally incapable of it."

"There must be something to do," the Captain said, "something I've overlooked."

Spock knew how his words would be received, but it was not his job to soften the blow. His job was to give the information at his disposal to the Captain and allow her to make decisions to the best of her ability.

"In chess," he said, purposefully turning away from Vivian so he could not see her hands, "when one is outmatched, the game is over. Checkmate."

"Is that your best recommendation?" Kirk demanded, irritated, and out of the corner of his eye Spock saw Vivian's whole body shudder once.

"I'm s –" Spock's words cut off when Vivian looked up at him, slightly surprised at the word he almost said. He realized it when her eyes were on him, when her hands relaxed just a fraction, a little color returning, a little steadiness in her arms.

He was sorry. The distantly familiar human half stirring up inside him for the first time in a very long time ached to find some way to be comforting for the crew, to think of some brilliant, near-impossible way to pull out a decisive victory. But as soon as he felt the word forming on his tongue under the stare of Vivian Buckingham's soft brown eyes, his Vulcan side choked out the feeling before it could get started.

"I regret," he said, "that I can find no other logical alternative."

The eyes went sad, not afraid or anxious, but almost disappointed, and she glanced over at Doctor McCoy, who seemed to be teetering on the verge of saying something. Vivian beat him to it.

"Captain," she said in a cool, collected voice, "if we survive-"

"Nobody's given up yet," Kirk said sharply.

Vivian's voice seemed to die on her, but McCoy took up the words.

"Well, then about Bailey," he said. "Let us enter it in our medical records as simple fatigue."

"That's my decision, Doctor," Kirk said, looking irritated. Spock sensed that this was hardly the time to bring up such an issue, but McCoy never had much in the way of tact.

"And your mistake," the Doctor pressed. "You overworked him, pushed him, expected too much from him."

"I'm ordering you to drop it," Captain Kirk snapped. "I have no time for you, your theories, your quaint philosophies."

The trembling was gone entirely from Vivian's hands as she stood up, her shoulders increasingly tense but the rest of her body graceful and fluid as it had been every day since Spock had met her.

"Insults are pointless, Captain," she said coolly. "Doctor McCoy and I are perfectly prepared to challenge you in our records. We can honestly say we warned you about Bailey's state." Kirk opened her mouth to likely order Vivian again, but Spock had seen this look on the Counselor's face before. Officially, she did have the upper hand when it came to Bailey's mental health, especially if she had warned the Captain and suggested removal from the Bridge. Her head jerked up slightly higher and she said in a steely voice, "Don't think I'm bluffing, Captain."

Kirk was unimpressed, obviously pushed near her own limits with all the things on her mind.

"Any time you can bluff me, Counselor," she said in a harsh voice, but Balok cut in once more.

"Three minutes."

To Spock's surprise, a sudden light of understanding came into the Captain's eyes and she sat forward slightly, a small smile twitching at the corners of her lips.

"All right, you two," she said to the Counselor and Doctor. "Let's hope we have time to argue about it. Not chess, Mr. Spock, poker. Do you know the game?" Spock raised an eyebrow. He knew every little about the Earth game known as poker, but the way that Vivian's shoulders relaxed and the way the Captain lit up, he supposed they understood something important by it. "Ship to ship."

"Hailing frequencies open, sir," Sulu announced.

The Captain began to speak, her voice confident and almost arrogant as she spun a tale for the alien vessel.

"This is the Captain of the Enterprise. Our respect for other life forms requires that we give you this warning. One critical item of information that has never been incorporated into the memory banks of any Earth ship. Since the early years of space exploration, Earth vessels have had incorporated into them a substance known as corbomite. It is a material and a device which prevents attack on us. If any destructive energy touches our vessel, a reverse reaction of equal strength is created, destroying-"

"You now have two minutes," Balok cut in systematically, but the Captain would not be put off this time. She raised her voice to finish.

" – Destroying the attacker! It may interest you to know that since the initial use of corbomite more than two centuries ago, no attacking vessel has survived the attempt. Death has little meaning to us. If it has none to you, attack us now. We grow annoyed at your foolishness."

There was a silence on the Bridge, stiff and pregnant with expectation, some sort of acknowledgement or response from the alien vessel. Spock noted that in this moment, no one seemed afraid as they had moments before, but simply waiting.

After a long wait, however, the Counselor softly said, "No answer."

Spock was forced to agree.

"However," he said, "it was well played. I regret not having learned more about this Balok. In some manner he was reminiscent of my father."

Scott looked up, surprised, from the other side of the Bridge and said, "Then may heaven have helped your mother."

"Quite the contrary," Spock replied, not noticing the small smile curling at the corners of his lips as he thought of his emotional, illogical, wonderful mother. "She considered herself a very fortunate Earth woman."

There was a small amount of astonishment at this statement on the Bridge, but Vivian barely seemed to be listening. Spock noted that her hands had begun to tremble again, and that she didn't seem to notice, her mind lost in some sort of deep concentration, perhaps looking for a chess move they had missed. He knew it was useless, but human desperation could lead people to fool themselves into many things.

Briefly, as he watched her quivering fingers, he thought of how he had promised to tell her of his background, his childhood as a half-Vulcan, half-human. But he had never had a chance to do so, or had never made the time. They would die without having discussed the matter, and although it would have made no difference to science, he did not wish to break a promise.

"Doc," Captain Kirk said slowly, "Sorry."

"For having other things on your mind?" McCoy said, astonished. "My fault. I don't know how the devil you keep from punching me in the face."

"A minute."

Vivian clutched at the railing between herself and Spock and he realized that she had not been thinking at all, but counting in her head. Bailey reentered the Bridge, but she didn't seem to notice, staring at the screen with slightly blank eyes, defeated. "If anyone's interested," she said, "thirty seconds."

"Permission to return to post, sir," Bailey said proudly.

"Permission granted," Kirk said. But she was barely noticing him, waiting on tenterhooks for some sort of response from Balok.

"Eleven," Sulu said. "Ten seconds, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

The Bridge held its breath, Spock right along with the rest of them. Death did not frighten him, he said to himself, but he did expect something more than continuation of that single, inbreath of a moment before the oblivion.

And then he realized, oblivion had not come. There was still more to be played.

"An interesting game," he said wryly, "this poker."

"It does have its advantages over chess," Kirk said with a weak smile.

McCoy said weakly, "Love to teach it to you."

Balok addressed them again, saying, "This is the Commander of the Fesarius."

Vivian, who had steadied herself in that brief moment of hesitation from the aliens, said with a small smile, "His bet, but a raise or a call?"

"The destruction of your vessel," Balok continued, "has been delayed. We will relent in your destruction only if we have proof of your corbomite device."

"Hold on that," Kirk said, raising a hand as Sulu moved to open a channel once more. "Let him sweat it for a change." She paused long enough to lick her lips, then said excitedly, "Ship to ship."

"Hailing frequencies, sir."

"Request denied," she spat out, before cutting off the frequency once more.

"I have visual contact, Captain," Spock said, restoring the picture of the alien in hope that it would give them some clue as to what they were planning.

"We will soon inform you of our decision regarding your vessel," Balok said in his same voice, his face utterly unchanged. "And having permitted your primitive efforts to see my form, I trust it has pleased your curiosity."

Vivian's hand tightened slightly around the railing, and they were all startled by the sound of the Bridge doors opening. Yeoman Rand entered with a tray and a mug for the Captain.

"I thought power was off in the galley," McCoy said, astonished at the sight before him.

"I used a hand phaser," the yeoman explained, "and zap. Hot coffee."

"Captain," Vivian said, pointing at the screen, "they're doing something."

Something turned out to be ejecting something from the Fesarius, but it didn't appear to be an escape pod. Spock turned to his sensors as the Captain said, "It's a small ship."

"About two metric tons," he announced.

The voice of Balok could be heard again, and he informed them, "IT has been decided that I will conduct you to a planet of the First Federation which is capable of sustaining your lifeform. There you will be interned. Your ship will be destroyed, of course."

"Engine systems coming on, Captain," Spock said.

"Do not be deceived by the size of this pilot vessel. It has an equal potential to destroy your vessel."

There was another jolt, smaller but still substantial, and Spock grabbed the railing to steady himself, watching Vivian grip at it with difficulty, her hands still sweaty from her efforts to steady them earlier.

"Tractor beam again," Spock said when the ship had leveled.

"So that you may sustain your gravity and atmosphere," Balok said, "your systems are now open. Escape is impossible since you are being taken under our power to your destination. Any move to escape or destroy this ship will result in the instant destruction of the Enterprise and everyone aboard."

Vivian licked her lips and Spock saw for a moment that there was a very noticeable flash of fear in her eyes.

Sulu confirmed this announcement of Balok's a moment later when he said, "We're being towed, sir."

_Counselor's Log, stardate 1514.1 Balok is towing the Enterprise. The Captain and I have agreed on a show of resignation, allowing the tractor beam to drain Balok's power. Hopefully this will weaken his ship and afford us with a moment to capitalize on._

After hours of careful monitoring, Spock was seeing small cracks in Balok's power over their ship. Whatever the alien said, this ship was much weaker if he had to return some of their systems during the course of the journey.

Suddenly, Lieutenant Bailey caught the full attention of the Bridge, saying, "Captain, he's pulling out a little ahead of us."

Spock switched scanners and said, "He's sneaked power down a bit."

"Our speed is down to point six four of light," Sulu added with a smile.

They had found their moment of weakness, if they could make the most of it. The Captain sat a little straighter, her fingers curling over the edges of her armrests.

"I want a right angled course," Kirk said sharply. "Shear away from him no matter which way he turns."

"Yes, sir," Bailey said, plotting the necessary course.

"Maximum acceleration when Counselor Buckingham gives the word," the Captain continued, nodding to the Counselor, who hurried to join Spock at the sensors. He moved over so she could access the screen to monitor the power drain. "At the leveling."

"Yes, sir," Sulu said, readying the engine tie-in.

"Engage, Sulu," Vivian said after a short pause.

"It's a strain, Captain," Sulu said, his voice raising ever so slightly. "Engines are overloading."

"More power," the Captain demanded, as if not hearing.

"We're superheating," Spock said, following the spikes in the computer readouts. "Intermix temperatures, seven thousand four hundred degrees. Seven five, seven six, eight thousand degrees."

Everything jolted on the Bridge and Spock and Vivian were knocked into each other and the railing as the room lit up from the superheating. Vivian pulled herself back to the sensors with surprising strength as the Captain said, "Shear away, Mr. Bailey."

Spock pulled himself back to the computer, holding on to the bottom edge of the panel for some stability.

"Two thousand degrees above maximum," he said. "Eight four, eight five, eight six." He turned to the center. "She'll blow soon!"

Vivian appeared not to be listening, watching the sensors.

"Impulse two, Sulu, now!" she cried.

Sulu did as directed, and there was a noticeable strain on the tractor beam, shaking the ship. Mr. Baily reported loudly, "We're breaking free, sir," as if they hadn't already all known this.

The free breathing came when the shaking and rattling stopped and they floated free in space, a moment of silence as they adjusted themselves to the sudden tranquility.

"All engines stop," Captain Kirk said quickly.

"All engines stopped, sir," Sulu repeated.

Mr. Scott turned from the Engineering panel with a frown.

"Engines need work badly, Captain," he reported. "Can you hold it here a few hours?"

Spock, reading the signals on the computer readout, shook his head slightly and said, "That may not be wise. He got a signal through to the mothership."

"Then we're not home yet," Kirk said, her face still stern, battle-ready.

Vivian had put in a communication earpiece at Spock's mention of transmission and she hurried to the comm panel trying to pick up the message. After a moment, she looked up with a jerking head motion that seemed not to suit her typically graceful motion. Several strands of hair came loose on the single move, but she didn't appear to notice.

"I'm picking up the signal to the Fesarius," she said, frowning, adjusting a dial before shaking her head. "It's weak, a distress signal." She paused to listen. "Engines out. Life-support systems failing." She paused again, frowning over at the Captain. "It's repeating, sir."

"Any reply?" Kirk asked, looking between Vivian and Spock, who both shook their heads.

"Negative, sir," Spock said. "The signal is weakening. The mothership may be out of range."

Kirk hesitated only a moment before standing and saying, "Plot a course for it, Mr. Bailey."

Bailey jerked with surprise and asked, "For it, Captain?"

"Dead ahead." She then turned on the intercom and said, "This is the Captain speaking. First Federation vessel is in distress. We're preparing to board it. There are lives at stake. By our standards, alien life but lives nevertheless. Captain out."

Bailey waited for the intercom to be flicked off before saying, "Course plotted and laid in, sir."

"Mr. Scott," Vivian said, taking off her earpiece, "indicators down for the transporter room. Could you make certain they're readied?"

"Aye, Counselor," Scott said after the Captain waved him off. He left quickly. Distress was distress, said the Captain, and the Captain's word was always good enough for Mr. Scott.

"Mr. Sulu," Kirk said, "bring us to within one hundred meters. Ahead slow."

"Ahead slow, sir."

Doctor McCoy, however, decided to take yet another opportunity to express his unsurprisingly contrary opinion.

"Jamie," he said, "don't you think-"

"What's the mission of this vessel, Doctor?" Captain Kirk said, obviously in no mood to hear it. "To seek out and contact life, and an opportunity to demonstrate what our high-sounding words mean. Any questions?" McCoy just stared at her for a moment, but said nothing. "I'll take three men with me, Doctor MCCoy and Counselor Buckingham to treat the aliens if necessary, and you, Mr. Bailey."

"Sir?" Bailey asked, turning around with astonishment. Spock, too, felt surprised. Bailey had performed below standard, had been thrown off the Bridge, and certainly had showed no sensitivity to the alien lifeform previously.

But to Spock's mild surprise, the Counselor smiled and said, "Your turn to face the unknown, Mr. Bailey."

Bailey looked between Vivian and Kirk before nodding and smiling a little.

"Yes, sir."

Spock was not satisfied with this. The transporter could send over five if the Captain was intent on bringing Mr. Bailey. He began, "Captain, I request permission to-"

"Denied," Kirk said without any seeming consideration at all. "If I'm wrong," she said, smoothing her uniform as she crossed the Bridge, "and it's a trap, I want you here."

The four members of the rescue party got into the turbolift, and Spock saw Vivian's calm, unshaking hand smooth a strand of hair behind her ear as the door closed before sitting in the Captain's chair, wondering what Balok would be like when they met him.

/-/

Vivian took deep breaths, thrilled that the worst was over. Healing, that would be mostly Bones's job. Diplomacy was much up to Captain Kirk. Any trauma and shock she would have to treat she would either be able to treat easily, or not at all. She felt immensely relieved that her first battle was over, won, and she would feel more confident the next time. So she said to herself.

"Transporter ready?" Kirk demanded as they entered the Transporter Room.

"Well, yes, sir, but it's risky," Scott said with a slightly tilted head that Vivian recognized as his disapproving head gesture. "We're locked on to what appears to be a main deck."

"Air sample," Kirk asked.

Lieutenant Bailey handed Vivian her communicator and phaser, and she attached them to her uniform.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," she said, slotting her phaser in her belt loop.

"Breathable," Scott said, regarding the air sample. "In fact, a slightly higher oxygen content than our own. Communicator, phaser weapon."

The Captain took her issue and said, "Thank you, Scotty. Ready, Doctor?"

McCoy scowled at her, adjusting his medical kit strap and saying, "No, but you won't let that stop you."

The four of them stood on the transporter discs and Vivian licked her lips slightly.

"Bend low, gentlemen," Scotty said. "It reads pretty cramped over there. Ready to transport."

The four of them bent over, Bailey and McCoy bending considerably.

"Energize," Kirk commanded.

They rematerialized in a main deck, although Vivian got the sense that it might be the only deck, or perhaps one of two. It was a small room, like quarters. Nothing seemed to be malfunctioning or breaking, and then Vivian spotted something absolutely shocking.

The Balok they had seen on the screen, but unmoving, fixed. She scanned him for brainwaves, but found that there was no brain to scan. Touching the skin, the whole scenario became even more bizarre.

"It's a dummy, Captain," she reported, astonished. "A puppet of sorts."

Then, the voice that had been so imposing, so terrifying, said jovially, "I'm Balok. Welcome aboard."

They all turned and saw a curtain opening. Behind the curtain was something not at all resembling the puppet, but a very small, grinning humanoid best resembling what Vivian remembered her brothering looking like at the age of two or three: a human toddler. The Enterprise officers exchanged confused looks.

"I'm Captain Kirk," the Captain said, regaining her confidence, taking some control of the situation back.

"And McCoy," Balok said, "and Bailey and Buckingham. Sit. Be comfortable." They stood, staring. "Go ahead," he insisted, "be seated. We must drink." There were glasses of a clear liquid in front of them as they sat, and Vivian looked at it with hesitation. "This is tranya," Balok explained. "I hope you relish it as much as I."

No one drank a drop. Captain Kirk leaned forward slightly and said, "Commander Balok."

"I know, I know, a thousand questions," Balok said, amusement in his voice. "But first, the tranya. Gentlemen." He took a drink, obviously deriving great pleasure from the taste of it. Vivian watched as the other three drank and seemed to enjoy the tranya as well, McCoy especially. Vivian suspected it was alcohol, and when she brought it close enough to smell she could certainly smell a burning alcoholic base.

But it might be offensive of her not to at least taste it, so she took a small sip.

Some sort of grain alcohol, perhaps, with large overtones of fruits she did not recognize. Not unpleasant, but not something she would have elected to drink herself. Too sweet.

"Commander," Kirk said, setting down her glass, "the puppet."

Vivian took this as a sign that she could lower her own glass, and did so as quickly as she could without drawing attention to herself.

"My alter ego, so to speak," Balok explained. "In your culture, he would be Mr. Hyde to my Jekyll. You must admit, he's effective. You would never have been frightened by me. And I thought my distress signal quite clever. It was a pleasure testing you."

"Testing us?" Bailey asked, still not putting it all together.

"I see," Kirk said with a smile.

Vivian saw as well, but she hadn't appreciated the hours of tension and exhaustion she'd been put through for it. Still, that was space travel. This was what she'd signed on for.

"I had to discover your real intentions," Balok said to Bailey.

"But you probed our memory banks," Kirk reasoned.

"Your records cold have been a deception on your part."

Vivian glanced around. Quarters, yes, but surely….

"And where is your crew?" she asked.

"I have no crew, Counselor," Balok said, his voice becoming slightly sad. "I run everything, this entire complex, from this small ship. But I miss company, conversation. Even an alien would be welcome." He paused, his voice brightening once more. "Perhaps one of your men for some period of time. An exchange of information, cultures."

Kirk smiled and nodded.

"Yes," she said, "both our cultures would benefit." She turned to the three of them and said with a small twinkle in her eye, "Do you know where we can find a volunteer, Mr. Bailey?"

Bailey, looking like a new man after everything he'd gone through in that day said with a smile, "Me, sir. I'd like to volunteer."

Balok sat up a little.

"Ah. You represent Earth's best, then."

Bailey, in a pleasant moment of graciousness, replied, "No, sir, I'm not. I'll make plenty of mistakes."

"But," Kirk said quickly, "you'll find out more about us that way, and I'd get a better officer in return."

Balok laughed a full, pleasant laugh, finishing his tranya and getting to his feet. "I see," he said. "We think much alike, Captain, you and I. Now, before I bring back the Fesarius, let me show you my vessel." He took the Captain's hand. "It's not often I have this pleasure. Yes, we're very much alike, Captain, both proud of our ships."


	7. The Menagerie, Part 1

**A/N: As a guest pointed out in a review (and as I realized while watching the second season), Scotty is before Sulu in the chain of command. When I wrote the first chapter, I hadn't know this, and when I go back with edits, that will be fixed. Thank you, _guest reviewer_. You're absolutely right. From here on, that error is corrected, and I beg you all forgive me for the mistake.**

**-C**

The lack of corridors felt strange to Vivian as she looked around the open, non-alien space around her. For a girl born and raised on a colony, her short time on Earth while training for Starfleet had been a bizarre experience for Vivian, and this starbase felt very much like the Medical Academy had, sterile, white, crawling with humans.

A woman smiled at her and Captain Kirk.

"Welcome to Starbase Eleven, Captain," she said. "The Commodore's waiting to see you both. He's curious why you suddenly changed course to come here."

Vivian and Kirk exchanged confused looks. Neither had actually heard the message, but if the Commodore was curious than something strange was going on.

"We received a subspace message asking us to divert here immediately," Kirk explained.

"This base sent no message, Captain," the woman said, her pretty brown hair bobbing slightly as she shook her head. Still, she lead them to Commodore Mendez's office as promised. He stood on their entrance.

"Jose," Kirk said happily as the Commodore stood to greet them. The two shook hands. "Good to see you again."

"You too, Jamie," the man said, glancing at Vivian.

"Oh, this is my Counselor and Tactical Officer," Kirk said, waving between them, inviting them to shake hands. "Lieutenant Commander Vivian Buckingham."

"Buckingham?" Mendez asked, sitting back down, motioning for the women to do the same. "Not of the Alpha Eridani II Buckinghams."

"Yes," Vivian said, shifting slightly. "That's my family."

Captain Kirk smiled a little, picking up a pen on Jose Mendez's desk and taking sudden interest in it. Vivian didn't like talking about her family to strangers much, but almost everyone she had met during her Starfleet training had known her uncle, so she had gotten used to it.

"Bryon Buckingham was a great man," Commodore Mendez said solemnly.

"Yes, I know," Vivian said, scratching her thumbnail up the side of her forearm. "A brilliant man, a brave man." She glanced over at Captain Kirk, who sat up a little straighter.

Kirk smiled and said, "Now, about that subspace message."

Jose Mendez quirked his head slightly.

"Subspace message?"

"The one your starbase sent."

Commodore Mendez looked between Vivian and Captain Kirk, shaking his head slightly.

"Oh, Jamie, I just can't understand this," he said.

Vivian looked over at the Captain, who was growing slightly frustrated.

"Mr. Spock received a subspace transmission," the Captain said, "a message from the former commander of the Enterprise, Fleet Captain Pike, urgently requesting that we divert here."

"Impossible," Mendez said, sharply, with a briskness that made Vivian feel slightly uncomfortable.

Kirk, too, seemed uncomfortable with what Mendez was implying, and she said, "If my First Officer states he received a transmission from-"

"Jamie, I'm not doubting anyone's word," Mendez said quickly, cutting across the outraged statement. "I'm simply telling you it's impossible."

Vivian perked up slightly. Whether or not the Commodore thought of himself as doubting Spock's word or not, Vivian didn't trust that at all. She heard something else behind his words.

"Forgive me, Commodore," she said, sitting forward just a bit, "but impossible is a word I've never set much store by. Do you mind explaining why you find it so impossible?"

"You don't know?" he asked, looking between the two women, staring expectantly back at him. You actually don't know what's happened to Commander Pike? There's been subspace chatter about it for months." They shook their heads. "I'm sorry I have to be the one to show you. He's upstairs in the medical section."

Commodore Mendez led them, giving the Captain the directions for Doctor McCoy and Spock, who beamed down following them. When the five of them had gathered outside Pike's room and the Commodore looked around at all of them.

"You ever met Chris Pike?" he asked Captain Kirk.

"When he was promoted to Fleet Captain," she said, nodding slightly.

"About your age," Mendez said sadly. "Big, handsome man, vital, active."

Kirk nodded again and said, "I took over the Enterprise from him. Spock served with him for several years."

Spock, in his usual, exact Vulcan way said corrected, "Eleven years, four months, five days."

Getting back to the point, McCoy asked, "What's his problem, Commodore?"

With slight hesitation, Commodore Mendez finally said, "Inspection tour of a cadet vessel. Old Class J starship. One of the baffle plates ruptured."

Besides Spock, they all winced collectively. Nothing good came of baffle plates rupturing, and if Vivian's basic memory of such things from the Medical Academy stood, it was a miracle Captain Pike was alive.

"The delta rays?" Bones asked.

Mendez nodded and said, "He went in bringing out all those kids that were still alive. Just wanted you to be prepared."

They entered after Commodore Mendez and Vivian actually froze at the sight of Captain Pike, in a full-body wheelchair, his face severely burned and deformed. It was the only part of him visible, and his eyes were haunting in the stretched and malformed face.

"Captain Pike," the Commodore said. The Captain was looking at them, but said nothing. Vivian suspected his mouth couldn't move. "Captain, you remember some of these people. They wanted to visit you."

A light on the front of the wheelchair flashed twice, and they looked at Commodore Mendez. He didn't seemed surprised by this, but slightly troubled.

"Two flashes means no," he explained. "I thought you might make an exception for them."

Two more flashes.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen," the Commodore said, but Vivian stepped forward. If his brain could function enough to answer yes or no questions, then she wasn't giving up without addressing him.

"Captain Pike," she said, "you don't know me, but my uncle served with you before he died. I... Isn't there anything we can do for you?"

Two more flashes. Vivian was beginning to wonder if it ever flashed only once, or if perhaps the light wasn't broken.

"Captain Pike," Spock said, stepping up next to her, "may I remain for a moment."

A single flash, and with a look at Spock, wondering what he would say to his former commanding officer, Vivian followed the others out.

"I didn't know your uncle served with Pike," McCoy said softly.

"Years ago," Vivian said. "Not long before his death, and only briefly. Perhaps he wouldn't remember anyway."

/-/

Vivian sat listening to the Captain and Commodore discussing the strange situation they now found themselves in. Even though she understood why the Commodore said that the message could not have been sent by Captain Pike, the notion of Spock inventing such a story was equally impossible to her.

"Once more, Jose," Jamara Kirk insisted. "Spock stated he received a message for us to come here. He entered the same in his log. That's all the proof I require."

Mendez waved his hand over a stack of record tapes for the period in question and said, "And what do those record tapes show? No message sent from here. No message received by your vessel."

"Then I suggest the record tapes have been deliberately changed," Kirk said firmly. "A computer expert can change record tapes, duplicate voices, say anything, say nothing."

"The fact remains that your First Officer's former captain is hospitalized, horribly injured, at this base, and the same First Officer seems to be the only one who heard that message."

"He he had wanted to see Captain Pike he could have requested a leave. I would have granted it."

"Well, that's true of course," Mendez conceded.

Vivian stared at the pile of tapes. Something certainly wasn't adding up, but she couldn't think of what could have happened, what could explain it. Not trusting Spock was ridiculous, but Pike obviously couldn't have sent a message. And perhaps someone tampered with the tapes, but who and why? Not just anyone had those skills.

"Who would want to divert us here?" Kirk said, shaking her head. "There's no trouble in the space sector we're patrolling now, no alien problems."

Mendez pressed his intercom and said, "Computer Center."

A voice answered, "Chief Humboldt here, sir."

"Have you rechecked all the record tapes on the date in question?"

"Yes, sir."

Vivian's fingers tensed as Mendez said, "Is there any way at all a message could have been sent from here without us knowing it?"

"Negative, Commodore. We've checked and double checked everything possible."

"Alright," Mendez said, giving Captain Kirk a frown. "Start checking the impossible. Mendez out." The woman who met them at the beamdown point walked in, hands folded behind her back. "Oh, have I introduced Miss Piper, Jamie? This is Captain Kirk and Counselor Buckingham, Miss Piper."

The pretty brunette gave a coy smile and said, "I recognized the Captain immediately. A mutual friend described you, sir. Lieutenant Helen Johansson."

Vivian fought a smirk that tickled the corners of her mouth at the Captain's sudden stunned change in expression as she said, "Helen described-"

"She merely mentioned she knew you, sir," Miss Piper said with another coy smile. She stared at the Captain in a way that increased tension in the room. Captain Kirk was a beautiful woman, it happened often, but Commodore Mendez was obviously not amused.

"You have something to report, Miss Piper?"

The woman jumped slightly and said, "Oh, yes, sir. I'm afraid our investigation turned up very little, Commodore. There is, of course, Mr. Spock's years of service with Captain Pike. Indications of extreme loyalty to this former commander."

Not liking what this suggested, Vivian sat forward a bit and narrowed her eyes.

"Miss Piper," she said coolly, "Mr. Spock is a Vulcan. He has loyalty written into his genetic code, no more so for Captain Pike than Captain Kirk. That's hardly a measure for concern."

The woman seemed momentarily startled and replied, "We're forced to consider every possibility, Counselor. We can be certain Captain Pike cannot have sent a message. In his condition he's under observation every minute of every day."

"And totally unable to move, Counselor," Mendez said as Vivian opened her mouth. "His wheelchair is constructed to respond to his brainwaves. Oh, he can turn it, move forwards, or backwards slightly."

Vivian, who had suspected this, snapped her mouth shut and fought the urge to huff at the Commodore. Something she was missing, something obvious, perhaps, right in front of her nose.

"With the flashing light," Miss Piper continued, "he can say yes or no."

"But that's it, Counselor," Mendez said with a nod. "That's as much as the poor devil can do. His mind is as active as yours and mine, but it's trapped inside a useless, vegetating body. He's kept alive mechanically, a battery-driven heart."

Vivian felt her fingers squirming with discomfort and she folded her hands carefully, holding her thumbs tightly out of view. She looked at Captain Kirk, who was deeply troubled, and gave a small shrug. Nothing added up, but something happened, so what and how and why?

"There's no way he could have even asked for that message to be sent?" the Captain asked desperately, but Vivian had the horrible feeling they were asking the wrong questions.

/-/

Spock took a deep breath and set the tape in the player, listening to the too-slow voice saying, "Starbase Operations." He adjusted it. "Starbase Operations," it repeated, this time much too fast. He turned it back down slightly and played it again at a normal speed. "Starbase Operations." He hit the button to transmit. "Starbase Operations, Enterprise. Stand by to receive new orders. They're to be fed directly into the ship's computers. This is top secret and scrambled."

The voice of Mr. Sulu answered, "Enterprise to Starbase. Request confirmation."

Spock flipped through for the confirmation tape and heard the voice of an employ saying, "Sir, this is a security area. What are you doing here?"

He did not even blink, still searching for the tape.

"I have security clearance, Chief," he lied, surprised at how simple it was. How did humans so often struggle with falsehood? Their lack of ability to control their emotions, the only logical answer.

"Who gave you clearance?" the Chief demanded, coming forward still. He would be an irritation, and Spock hardly had the time for such a thing. "I haven't been notified." He looked at Spock's work as he searched for the correct tape. "You're cross-circuiting the-"

Spock fought him away from the panel. There wasn't time for this, not nearly enough time. The struggled continued.

"What tapes are these?" the Chief demanded, but Spock continued to fight him off.

"Repeat," Sulu's voice said, "Enterprise to Starbase. Orders received. We need operating confirmation from the ship's Captain."

With some effort, Spock managed to neck-pinch the Chief and hurry back to the panel, fishing for the tape once more as Sulu continued, "Come in, Starbase. Come in, Captain Kirk."

Spock inserted the data chip and reorganized the tapes as it played out the message, "This is Captain Kirk. You have confirmation, Mr. Sulu."

The voice of Mr. Hansen responded, "Hansen here, Captain. Our destination has been scramble-fed into ship's computers. Er, how can I handle the helm if I don't know where we're going?"

He changed out the chips again and the Captain's voice said, "Mr. Spock is here with me. He'll answer all questions."

Spock then picked up the transmitter and sat down.

"This is Mr. Spock. The ship's computers will handle the helm on this voyage, Mr. Hansen. Course will be computed and set automatically. You will not discuss this with the ship's crew or starbase personnel. Do you read?"

"Acknowledged, sir."

"Stand by," Spock said, satisfied that Hansen would do his job. "We'll warp out of orbit in one hour."

/-/

Mendez had left Vivian, Kirk, and McCoy alone in his office while he saw to some unrelated business, and Vivian watched Captain Pike ceaselessly on the monitor screen. Since it had been turned on for her about ten minutes ago, Pike's light had been flashing a succession of double-flashes almost without pause. She sighed, stretching.

"He's still blinking no, but no one knows what to do," she said, trying to puzzle out the whole strange matter. "They've given up trying to question him. He's so agitated, it's too dangerous. But he won't stop."

"How long will he live?" Captain Kirk asked McCoy, who was watching the screen with tired eyes.

With a frustrated twisted of his mouth, McCoy said, "As long as any of us." He beat his hand against the door frame and burst out, "Blast medicine anyway. We've learned to tie into every human organ in the body except one. The brain. The brain is what life is all about. Now, that man can think any thought that we can, and love, hope, dream as much as we can, but he can't reach out, and no one can reach in."

Vivian found his words especially frustrating because her fields were the ones responsible for the brain. Psychology, psychiatry, they had not managed this tie in no matter how hard they tried. She felt partially responsible for Captain Pike's weakness and yet she knew there was nothing she could have done.

"He keeps blinking no," Captain Kirk said slowly, tilting the monitor.

"No to what?" McCoy demanded. "They could question him for days, weeks, before they stumble on the right thing."

And then the Captain asked the question Vivian was thinking, dreading, trying not to think.

"Could this have anything to do with Spock?"

Vivian licked her lips as she watched the screen.

"You don't mean what I think you mean, Jamie," she said softly.

"What I mean is either a message was received-" She cut off, frowning, repositioning her thoughts. "It was one of two things," she began again. "Either someone sent a message diverting us here, or someone onboard the ship lied about receiving it. Could that someone be Mr. Spock?"

McCoy shook his head, stunned.

"Jamie," he said, "forgetting how well we all know Spock, the simple fact he's a Vulcan means he's incapable of telling a lie."

"He's also half human," Kirk pointed out.

Vivian both hated the thought that this could be a viable argument for reasons of friendship with Spock and for selfish reasons of her own research. So far, every hybrid of two species she'd come across was strengthened by the joining. But if Human and Vulcan joining could weaken either species... Perhaps she could tell herself that the ability to lie wasn't a weakness after all, but a sometimes strength.

The theory required examination.

"And that half is completely submerged," McCoy argued, and for the moment, Vivian was willing to cling to this explanation for peace of mind. "To be caught acting like us or even thinking like us would completely embarrass him."

Kirk shook her head, though, no longer willing to let it be at that.

"Someone is interfering with my command and my ship," she said slowly. "I don't know who it is, but I mean to find it out. Even you." Vivian quirked an eyebrow, but she understood. "If I thought either of you had the technical know-how I'd suspect you, but even you don't Vivian. Spock does."

Still, Vivian wasn't letting go of her initial reaction so easily. She sat forward and said, "Yes, but, I can't fathom Spock making a false entry, Jamie."

"There's a false entry on the log right now that doesn't jibe with the established facts," Kirk said, her eyes flashing as she pushed through the unsavory thought. "How do you explain that?"

McCoy and Vivian exchanged startled looks. They weren't under suspicion, but Vivian knew it bothered her more to think of Spock under suspicion, and it seemed McCoy felt the same.

Softly, he said, "We can't, but to question Spock of all people? Me, yes. I could run off half-cocked given a reason. So could Vivian, so could you, but not Spock. It's impossible."

At this word, Vivian frowned slightly, glancing tapping her fingers on Commodore Mendez's desk thoughtfully. Impossible. Was anything truly impossible? Just because she and McCoy couldn't fathom it...

"Doctor McCoy," a voice said through the intercom, "report to Transporter Control. Doctor McCoy to Transporter Control."

He leaned over and pressed the intercom button.

"McCoy here."

"You're needed aboard the Enterprise, Doctor. Medical emergency."

Vivian raised her eyebrows at McCoy, who looked irritated.

"Well, what is it?" he demanded. "Sickness? Injury? How bad is it?"

"That's all we have on it, Doctor. Just needed aboard."

McCoy shook his head and rolled his eyes at the two women as he went for the door.

"Probably somebody discovered a hangnail," he scoffed. "I'll beam up and let you know, Jamie. I'll call if you're needed, Vivian."

She nodded, tapping her fingers still on the desk, barely listening.

Was anything truly impossible?

/-/

With an uneasy feeling and a frown, Vivian looked down at the file that Commodore Mendez had tossed on the desk in front of her and Captain Kirk.

"For the eyes of Starfleet Command only," she read aloud, raising her eyebrows at the Commodore.

"Oh, I'm certifying I ordered you both to read it," he said dismissively, sitting across from them. "Your security and intelligence clearance is as high as mine in any case, Counselor. I was surprised to see the full tactical course on a Counselor's record, and without the extra year even." She bit the inside of her cheek. He probably didn't mean to tease or belittle her, but it felt as if he was. "Well," he continued, unbothered, "do either of you know anything at all about this planet?"

"What every ship knows," Kirk said, sitting back in her chair. "General Order 7, no vessel under any condition, emergency or otherwise, is to visit Talos Four."

"And to do so is the only death penalty left on our books," Mendez finished for her. "Only Fleet Command knows why. Not even this file explains that." Still, he unlocked the magnetic strip and sat back again. "But it does name the only Earth ship that ever visited the planet."

Kirk carefully flipped open the file and read aloud, "The Enterprise, commanded by Captain Christopher Pike."

Vivian could already feeling her stomach tightening, even before Commodore Mendez said, "With a half-Vulcan Science Officer named Spock."

Before Vivian could think of something to say to this shocking new information, Miss Piper rushed into the room.

"Commodore!" she said, horrified, "Captain Pike, he's gone!"

The words hadn't even finished processing in Vivian's mind when the intercom buzzed insistently.

"Mendez here," he said, pressing his button. "What is it?"

The voice on the other end answered, concerned, "Starship Enterprise, Commodore. It's warping out of orbit. Refuses to acknowledge our signal."

If it hadn't been for years of Starfleet training to handle a crisis, Vivian likely would have fainted on the spot. Things had gone from inexplicable to completely unfathomable in mere moments.

/-/

Spock sat in the Captain's chair knowing that it would very likely be the last time he sat in that chair.

"Out of orbit, Mr. Spock," Lieutenant Hansen said uneasily. "Seems strange with no navigator on duty."

"The Enterprise knows where she's going, Mr. Hansen," Spock said, his thoughts turning to the task at hand. So much to be done...

"Someone's trying to hail us, sir," Sulu said from the comm panel.

"Maintain radio silence, Lieutenant," Spock said. He heard the Bridge door open and suspected it was Doctor McCoy, but it was imperative that he address the crew to curtail suspicion. "This is First Officer Spock. Per Starfleet orders this date, I have been placed in temporary command of the Enterprise. While our destination is secret, our mission is relatively simple. Starbase Command has assigned Captain Kirk and Counselor Buckingham medical rest leave until our return. The Captain's instructions are that you will obey my orders as you would hers. First Officer out."

As expected, Doctor McCoy rushed in, outraged.

"What's going on around here?" he demanded. "Who said Jamie and Vivian needed a medical rest leave? And this call about me being needed aboard the ship. I've checked everywhere."

Spock stood swiftly, cutting off the stem of over-emotional words.

"And no one from the ship made such a call," Spock finished for the Doctor, who looked slightly baffled.

"That's right."

"Doctor," Spock said smoothly, "I regret they elected to keep certain things from you. Will you come with me please."

He led Doctor McCoy, who was pleasantly quiet for a change, to the quarters he had personally set up for Captain Pike. Once they entered, Doctor McCoy looked horrified.

"What is this, Spock?" he demanded. "Captain, are you alright?" The Captain flashed his light twice, and Spock was almost glad that he had done so much frantic light flashing earlier, because the Doctor then said, "I see that your'e still signaling-"

"Doctor," Spock said, "one moment please."

For some reason, this was the tape Spock most regretted having made. And at the same time, he recognized that it was easily his best work. He could not put his finger on why he did not want to play it, but he strongly did not want to play the tape. But he had to. Doctor McCoy needed to do as instructed, and this was a case where only one person had the authority.

He pressed play, and the tape played.

"Buckingham to Doctor McCoy. I've recorded the message for clarity and security purposes. You know I hate ordering you, but this is a delicate mental case and needs must. This is important. You are not to disturb Captain Pike with questions. Take good care of him. As per the Captain's instructions, you are to comply completely with Spock's instructions. Buckingham out."

Again, two flashes on Captain Pike's wheelchair.

Doctor McCoy was stunned by obviously resigned to the orders as Spock returned to the Bridge.

The tape was wrong. It was the best of the tapes, but it nagged at him that he had not been able to capture the short a sound just right. The error would be imperceptible to the human year. The Counselor would likely have been fooled herself. But to a Vulcan ear, it was obviously wrong. Given more time perhaps he could have fixed it, but there had not been the luxury of more time. He stepped onto the Bridge and was immediately greeted by a report from Hansen.

"Sir, scanners report an object following us, about the size of a starbase shuttlecraft. Shall we reverse helm?"

"Take no action, Mr. Hansen," Spock said, taking the Captain's seat again. The Captain, no doubt, although he had expected for her to follow sooner.

"But at our speed," Hansen said, "they'll never catch us. In case they want to reach us-"

"You have your orders, Mr. Hansen," Spock said sternly. "We'll make no contact."

/-/

Vivian still felt annoyed at the Captain that she'd had to fight her way onto the shuttlecraft. The nerve of trying to leave her at starbase until they'd brought back the Enterprise! Spock wouldn't leave them out in the middle of space to die, so what did the fuel and air consumption matter?

She manned navigation while Commodore Mendez – who also insisted on coming aboard – attempted to reach the ship.

"Starbase Shuttlecraft one to Enterprise. Come in, please. Enterprise, Commodore Mendez, Captain Kirk, and Counselor Buckingham. If you read me, you're ordered to reply. Repeating it on all emergency frequencies, Jamie."

Vivian shook her head, increasingly discouraged the longer they went without contact. Whatever he was doing, he was thorough.

"There's no doubt about it," she said darkly. "Spock's going to Talos Four."

Captain Mendez began checking instruments on his panel and said, "Pulling ahead of us fast. Fuel is down...to sixty-three point three. If we turn back now, we've got just barley enough to get us back to the base."

Vivian's stomach turned, but she clasped her thumbs into her palms quickly and took deep breaths. Spock would not abandon them, whatever he was doing. There had to be a reason. There had to be. This wasn't what it looked like.

Captain Kirk, however, was starting to get frenetic, snatching up the comm speaker.

"Shuttlecraft to Enterprise, come in. Shuttlecraft to Enterprise. Shuttlecraft to Enterprise, come in!"

The words echoed sinisterly in Vivian's head as she gripped at her thumbs, the corners of her vision beginning to blur.

/-/

Spock sat down at his computer, knowing he had to be certain before he made any sort of decisions.

"Library computer," it announced, acknowledging having been switched on.

"Lock on to sensors," he ordered. "Measure object now following the Enterprise."

"Computed. Object is a Class F shuttlecraft. Duranium metal shield, ion engine power-"

"Stop," he said quickly, not looking over at anyone else on the Bridge. If they heard... Well, it was only a matter of time before they knew now, regardless. "How long before shuttlecraft fuel supply forces return to starbase?"

"Computed. Shuttlecraft is already past point of safe return."

And this could only mean one thing. That the Counselor, in spite of Spock's expectations, had come aboard the ship. He felt – disappointed. And something burning and unfamiliar inside of him, something that caused his body to feel hot and uncomfortable. He did not know the word for it, but it was a feeling he did not want to feel again. He quickly pushed it away and turned off the computer.

Nearly time.

/-/

As the last of the fuel ran out, Vivian could feel herself growing increasingly agitated. Could she really have been so wrong? Her thumbs twitched violently, jumping against the fingers that held them in place.

"We coast," Mendez said, watching the gauge fall totally empty.

Before she could bite her tongue, she said, "Forgive me, but I still don't see why you're even here, Commodore."

He simply smiled at her and said, "RHIP, Counselor. Rank hath its privileges."

The Captain stood up and checked the readings at the back.

"Two hours of oxygen left," she said, rubbing her arms. Vivian could feel her thumbs coming loose, too slick with sweat to be held in place as her hands began to tremble.

"Wonderful," Mendez said with dark irony lacing his voice.

"Part of me is hoping the Enterprise won't come back for us," Captain Kirk admitted. "We step on that deck, Spock is finished. Court-martialed, disgraced."

"He's dead if he makes it to Talos Four," Mendez reminded them, and Vivian could feel her hands shaking ever more violently. She felt sick to her stomach. She didn't want him to die. She didn't want to die, but she didn't want Spock to die either. Whatever he'd done, whatever he was doing... The words of the Commodore cut into her thoughts.

"Why would he want to get Pike there? The command report stated Talos contained absolutely no practical benefits to mankind."

Captain Kirk shook her head and said with a small smile, "Spock would have some logical reason for going there."

Yes, Vivian thought. Logic. It might not always make sense to an irrational human mind, but Spock was always governed by logic. If she could only set aside her emotional flurries she could try to solve this horrible puzzle using logic.

"Maybe," Mendez said darkly. "Maybe he's just gone mad."

/-/

Doctor McCoy had come to the Bridge as Spock stared at the viewscreen, trying to decide the exact moment to do what needed to be done, as difficult as it would be.

"I keep wondering," the Doctor said, "who might be following after us in a shuttlecraft and I keep coming up with the same answer. But I can't be right, can I Mr. Spock?"

In his mind's eye, Spock to picture almost too easily the view on that shuttlecraft, the Captain stubbornly thinking of ways to save oxygen, Vivian working to keep her hands from shaking violently. He could not understand how someone so otherwise calm in the face of danger had such a strong physical reaction that was not in her medical or personnel files, and the image of her trembling hands in his mind was unnerving.

"Computer control," he said, suddenly and crisply standing. "Lock onto shuttlecraft following us."

The computer answered, "Locked on. Tractor beam ready."

"Go to table Abel Seven Baker. Execute instructions."

"Is it the Captain and the Counselor, Mr. Spock?" Doctor McCoy demanded, obviously not sure from the look on his face if he wanted to know the answer. Spock ignored him. Luckily, in that moment, Hansen addressed him with astonishment.

"Sir, the engines are reversing. She's brought herself to a dead stop."

It was time.

Spock turned on the intercom and said in a clear, measured voice, "This is the First Officer speaking. Security, send an armed team to the Bridge. Transporter Room, stand by to beam Captain Kirk and Counselor Buckingham aboard. Effective until then, Lieutenant Hansen is in operational command."

"Sir?" Hansen asked, exchanging confused looks with Mr. Sulu.

"First Officer out," Spock finished, releasing the button. "Doctor, as senior officer present, I present myself to you for arrest."

The Doctor, as expected, was further confused by this statement, but they hardly had time for that.

"You what?" he said.

"The charge is mutiny, Doctor," Spock said calmly, although he felt as though something was jumping inside his throat. "I never received orders to take command."

The Bridge door opened.

"Security reporting, Mr. Spock."

He raised his eyebrows slightly at McCoy, who was hesitating.

"Doctor," he prompted.

McCoy looked around at the Bridge, which was in a state of stunned silence.

"Mr. Spock is, er, under arrest," he finally said. He hesitated again. "Is confinement to quarters enough?"

"Adequate, Doctor," Spock said. Not usual for the situation, but mutiny was often a more urgent charge. "I'll make no trouble."

The security officers took their turn hesitating, but McCoy seemed to have grasped some manner of decorum about the situation and said, "Well, confine him."

"Yes, sir," security replied, and Spock allowed himself to be lead away to his quarters by the armed guard he ordered, still thinking about the pale, trembling fingers of Counselor Buckingham.

/-/

Receiving a signal from the Transporter Room, Vivian pulled slightly at her uniform to control her hands.

"Store the shuttlecraft in the hanger deck," she said in her firm, Bridge-emergency voice, "but beam three directly aboard, Mr. Scott."

"Alright, Counselor," Scott's pleasant voice said. She was relieved to hear it again. "Locked on to you."

She closed her eyes as she dematerialized, and gripped her hands together as soon as she'd rematerialized, stepping off the platform after the Captain. It felt good to be back on the Enterprise. Lieutenant Hansen stepped forward.

"Transferring command to you, sir," he said to the Captain.

"Accepting command," she said, crossing to the intercom and adjusting her skirt slightly.

"Where is Spock?" Vivian asked the Lieutenant, wondering if she would visit him or wait until she'd calmed down a bit. She wanted answers, but she didn't want him to see her like this.

"In his quarters," Hansen said, "under arrest."

"His quarters, after what he's done, Lieutenant?" Mendez said, shocked and a bit outraged.

"Sir, look," Vivian said quickly, seeing a light suddenly come on on the panel. "The engines are turning on."

Kirk leaned over the intercom and pressed the button with perhaps unnecessary force. "Kirk to Bridge," she said. "Reverse power. Hold this position. Tell whoever gave those orders to report-"

"Sir," Hansen said nervously, "there's nobody up there giving orders. Mr. Spock has the computers running the ship."

Vivian's hands began to shake again, and she gripped them together fiercely. Kirk pressed the intercom again.

"Disengage computer control, Sulu," she demanded.

"We can't disengage, Captain," Sulu said, sounding a bit baffled. "The helm doesn't response."

Vivian's flash of fear was extinguished suddenly as Scott rushed out of the room muttering in Gaelic under his breath. Her eyebrows raised as she watched him leave. She didn't know he spoke Gaelic.

"Computer control, come in," Kirk said, stepping back from the intercom.

"Computer."

"Disengage from helm," Vivian said, feeling sweat beginning to pool in the creases of her palms again.

"Unable to comply," the computer responded. Vivian's eyebrows raised even higher. She had never had trouble giving any level of computer command before. Spock had been thorough, whatever he'd done.

"This is the Captain," Kirk said, slightly irritated. "On voice command, you will override contrary instructions. Voice command, disengage from helm."

A short pause and Vivian had some measure of hope, but then -

"Unable to comply. Any such attempt will cross-circuit vessel's life-supporting system. Computer control cannot be disengaged until vessel reaches planet Talos Four."

Vivian gripped so tightly on her slippery hands that her nails dug into her flesh, but she hardly felt them. Her whole body felt numb.

_Captain's Log, stardate 3012.4. Despite our best efforts to disengage computers, the Enterprise is still locked on a heading for the mysterious planet Talos Four. Meanwhile, as required by Starfleet General Orders, a preliminary hearing on Lieutenant Commander Spock is being convened. And in all the years of my service, this is the most painful moment I've ever faced._

Vivian sat between Scott and McCoy in the hearing room, gripping her hands together in her lap, breathing deeply, focusing on a point on the wall over Spock's shoulder. She had decided not to speak to him before the hearing. If she did and his explanations were worse than she'd feared, she might not be able to sit through the hearing. And she had to sit through the hearing. What sort of friend would she be to either Kirk or Spock if she didn't?

"This hearing is convened," the Captain said, voice authoritative but obviously strained. "Mr. Spock, you're aware of your right to counsel of your choice?"

Spock looked at Mendez and Kirk levelly and said, "Sir, I waive counsel." Vivian's thumbs twitched. "Further, I waive rights to this hearing and request immediate court-martial."

Well, it was unorthodox, but he knew what he wanted, and Vivian couldn't argue that he didn't know what he was doing. Whatever it was, Spock was obviously prepared.

"Request denied."

Vivian actually sat forward, and before she realized what she was saying, she said, "On what grounds, sir?"

The Captain actually looked at her, puzzled she explained, "A mutiny requires a trial board of no less than three command officers. Since there are only two of that rank available-"

"Sir," Spock said calmly, "I must point out that there are three officers of command rank available. Yourself, Commodore Mendez, and Captain Christopher Pike." Vivian's stomach dropped slightly, but her hands remained more or less under control.

"Denied," Kirk said. "Captain Pike is a complete invalid."

"I believe you'll find he's still on the active duty list," Spock said, and Vivian found her head turning, along with every other in the room, to look at Commodore Mendez for an explanation. The man sighed.

"We didn't have the heart to retire him, Jamie. He's got you. Whatever he's up to, he's planned it well."

_Counselor's Log, stardate 3012.6. General Court-Martial convened. The psych evaluation Captain Kirk ordered provides no explanations or loopholes for Mr. Spock's behavior, and when I begged him to explain to me he was, as predicted, completely unmoved by my shameful emotional outburst. Mr. Spock has again waived counsel and has entered a plea of guilty._

Commodore Mendez sighed heavily and said, "Mr. Spock, are you aware in pleading guilty that a further charge involving the death penalty must be held against you should this vessel enter the Talos Star group?

"I am," Spock said levelly, and Vivian wondered how he could be so unmoved as her hands shook uncontrollably under the desk. There was nothing she could do for him, and the thought was horrifying.

"Why?" Mendez demanded. "What does it accomplish to go there, or to take Captain Pike there? I want to know why."

Spock nodded and said, "Thank you. Request monitor screen be engaged."

Vivian jumped slightly, and everyone else looked equally puzzled.

"For what purpose?"

"To comply with the request you just made, sir," Spock said, as though it were all perfectly obvious, "that I explain the importance of going to Talos Four."

Kirk almost smiled, and Vivian suspected she would have if the occasion hadn't been such a serious one.

"By asking why," Kirk explained, "you've opened the door to any evidence he may wish to present. Apparently what he had in mind."

Mendez was perturbed, but his curiosity got the better of him and he said, "Present your evidence. Screen on."

Vivian's breath caught as the screen came on and there was a beautiful, advanced image of film zooming in on the Enterprise, through to the Bridge, where a young Spock stood as part of an unfamiliar crew, not a face Vivian recognized.

"This is thirteen years ago," Spock explained. "The Enterprise and its commander, Captain Christopher Pike."

"What on earth...?" Vivian whispered to herself, and McCoy shook his head beside her. She had never seen anything like it.

_** Spock turned from his instruments to the man sitting in Kirk's chair, the man who was vaguely familiar, but someone Vivian knew she had never seen.**_

_** "Definitely something out there, Captain," Spock said firmly, "headed this way."**_

"Screen off," Captain Kirk suddenly snapped. Scott turned it off sharply. "Chris, was that really you on the screen?" A single flash. "That's impossible," she then said firmly, turning back to Spock. "Mr. Spock, no vessel makes record tapes in that detail, that perfect. What were we watching?"

Vivian had a sinking feeling that it was from the "something out there" that the Spock on the tape referred to, but all Spock would say was, "I cannot tell you at this time, sir."

"Captain Pike," Mendez said, irritated, "were any record tapes of this nature made during your voyage?" Two flashes. "The court is not obliged to view evidence without knowing its source."

Spock tilted his head to the side slightly and said, "Unless the court asks a prisoner why, Commodore. You did ask that question."

Vivian held her breath as the Commodore said angrily, "You mean I was maneuvered into asking. Your evidence is out of order."

"I am forced to contest that, Commodore," Captain Kirk said, sitting forward just a touch. "I want to see more."

Commodore Mendez was working himself up into something of a frenzy and he said, "You have that right, Captain, but just because the prisoner is your First Officer and your personal friend-"

But Vivian could hear no more of this sort of ridiculousness and said in her strongest voice, "Forgive me, sir, but even if that _were_ true, it's immaterial. You asked, the Captain wants to continue. Mr. Spock has his rights."

Spock's eyes did not meet hers, and his face betrayed no sign that he had even heard her.

"Very well," the Commodore said, frowning. "Continue."

"Screen on, Mr. Scott," Captain Kirk said, sitting back again.

_**A woman with dark hair sitting at the helm said, "No. It's something else. There's still something out there."**_

"As I stated, gentlemen, this was thirteen years ago. We were on a routine patrol when the ship's sensors detected something ahead. At first we were not certain what it was."

_**A man on the screen said, "It's coming at the speed of light. Collision course. The meteorite beam has not deflected it, Captain."**_

_** "Evasive maneuvers, sir?" the woman asked.**_

_** "Steady as we go," Captain Pike said, unfazed by the strange urgency of the situation. An officer sitting at the comm panel turned inward.**_

_** "It's a radio wave, sir. We're passing through an old-style distress signal."**_

_** Captain Pike nodded and said, "They were keyed to cause interference and attract attention this way."**_

_** The comm officer continued, reading the signal: "A ship in trouble making a forced landing, sir. That's it. No other message."**_

_** "I have a fix," the navigator said. "It comes from the Talos star group."**_

_** "We've no ships or Earth colonies that far out," the helmswoman said, surprised.**_

_** "Their call letters check with a survey expedition," Spock said. "S. S. Columbia disappeared in that region approximately eighteen years ago."**_

_** The navigator said, "It would take that long for a radio beam to travel from there to here."**_

_** "Records show," Spock continued, "that the Talos star group has never been explored. Solar system similar to Earth, eleven planets. Number four seems to be Class M, oxygen atmosphere."**_

_** The woman perked up at this and said, "Then they could still be alive, even after eighteen years."**_

_** "If they survived the crash," Pike said. Clearly the main difference between Captain Pike and Captain Kirk, Vivian decided, was that Captain Kirk would have assumed them alive until she had indication otherwise.**_

_** "We aren't going to go, to be certain?" Spock asked.**_

_** "Not without any indication of survivors, no," Pike said. "Continue to the Vega Colony and take care of our own sick and injured first. You have the Bridge, helm. Maintain present course."**_

_** "Yes, sir," the woman said, apparent First Officer of the ship.**_

_** The footage, instead of staying on the Bridge, followed Captain Pike to his quarters, where he stood at his intercom.**_

_** "Boyce here," a voice said.**_

_** "Drop by my cabin, Doctor," Pike said. Not long after, an elderly man who must have been Boyce entered with a bag. "What's that?" Pike said, gesturing at the bag. "I didn't say there's anything wrong with me."**_

_** Boyce ignored his protests and pulled out a bottle, pouring a clear liquid into a glass.**_

_** "I understand we picked up a distress signal," Boyce said.**_

_** "That's right. Unless we get anything more positive on it, it seems to me the condition of our own crew takes precedent. It'd like to log the ship's doctor's opinion, too."**_

_** "Oh, I concur with yours, definitely," Boyce said, paying more attention to whatever he was mixing for the Captain, by the look of things.**_

_** "Good," Pike continued. "I'm glad you do, because we're going to stop first at the Vega colony and replace anybody who needs hospitalization and also – What the devil are you putting in there, ice?"**_

_** Vivian's lips twitched with amusement at Pike's realization.**_

_** "Who wants a warm martini?" Boyce asked innocently.**_

_** "What makes you think I need one?"**_

_** "Sometimes a man will tell his bartender things he'll never tell his doctor." The man had an uncanny ability to say things without answering questions. "What's been on your mind, Chris, the fight on Rigel Seven?"**_

_** Pike took a drink of the martini.**_

_** "Shouldn't it be?" he asked. "My own yeoman and two others dead, seven injured."**_

_** "Was there anything you personally could have done to prevent it?"**_

_** Pike waved his hand dismissively and said, "Oh, I should have smelled trouble when I saw the swords and the armor. Instead of that, I let myself get trapped in that deserted fortress and attacked by one of their warriors."**_

_** "Chris," Boyce said, "you set standards for yourself no one could meet. You treat everyone on board like a human being except yourself, and now you're tired and you-"**_

_** "You bet I'm tired," Pike said, wildly. "You bet. I'm tired of being responsible for two hundred and three lives. I'm tired of deciding which mission is too risky and which isn't, and who's going on the landing party and who doesn't, and who dies. Boy, I've had it, Phil."**_

_** "To the point of finally taking my advice, a rest leave?"**_

_** "To the point of considering resigning," Pike said, not a hint of a joke in his voice.**_

_** "And do what?" Boyce asked, shocked and outraged.**_

_** Pike finished his martini.**_

_** "Well, for one thing," he said boldly, "go home. Nice little town with fifty miles of park land around it. Remember I told you I had two horses, and we used to take some food and ride out all day."**_

_** "Ah, that sounds exciting," Boyce derided. "Ride out with a picnic every day."**_

_** "I said that's one place I might go. I might go into business on Regulus, or on the Orion colony."**_

_** "You, an Orion trader," Boyce snorted, "dealing in green animal women, slaves?"**_

_** "The point is," Pike said irritably, "this isn't the only life available. There's a whole galaxy of things to choose from."**_

_** "Not for you. A man either lives life as it happens to him, meets it head-on, and licks it, or he turns his back on it and starts to whither away."**_

_** Pike set down his martini glass and looked up at the older man skeptically.**_

_** "Now your'e beginning to talk like a doctor, bartender."**_

_** "Take your choice," Boyce said wryly. "We both get the same two kinds of customers. The living and the dying."**_

_** The familiar voice of Spock came over the intercom and said, "Mr. Spock here. We've intercepted a follow-up message, sir. There are crash survivors on Talos."**_

"Trap," Vivian said softly, almost a breath. "It's a trap."

She couldn't explain how she knew, but she knew it as surely as she knew that her own eyes were brown.

_** Pike returned to the Bridge, where an officer promptly gave him the message.**_

_** "Eleven survivors from crash. Gravity and oxygen within limits. Food and water obtainable, but unless. The message faded at that point, sir."**_

_** "Address intercraft," Pike ordered.**_

_** "System open," the navigator said.**_

_** "This is the Captain. Our destination is the Talos star group. Our time warp, factor seven."**_

_** "Course computed and on the screen," the navigator said.**_

_** "All decks have acknowledged, sir," the helmswoman said.**_

_** "Engage."**_

"Screen off," Commodore Mendez said, annoyance very clear in his voice. "Mr. Spock, I'm truly amazed at your technical prowess in somehow manufacturing all this. I congratulate you on your imagination. But this is a court of space law, not a theatre."

Vivian actually bit her tongue in a moment of anger, but Spock calmly turned to Captain Pike and said, "Captain, please tell the court this is not imagination, nor some clever photographic record. Are we seeing the actual events of thirteen years ago?" A single flash. "Yes, gentlemen. On that screen, as it happened, the incredible experience of Captain Christopher Pike on Talos Four. If, after witnessing this, the court wishes to turn this vessel back, I will release this ship to manual control."

It would be interesting to know, Vivian thought, just how much footage there was, but Mendez was too furious to ask.

"You are in no position to bargain," he spluttered. "This is ridiculous. This man mutinied, stole your ship, abducted Captain Pike. Well, for me this has gone far enough."

Kirk was obviously not so sure and she said, "We still haven't seen the full story. I vote to continue."

"And I vote we do not. Deadlock, and since I'm-"

"Not a deadlock," Captain Kirk reminded him. "There's still one member of the trial board to be heard from."

Mendez looked around at the invalid Christopher Pike and his mouth twisted in frustration.

"Very well," he said. "Captain Pike, it's up to you. Do we continue under these conditions?"

A single flash.

"Yes," Kirk said, perhaps a little too triumphantly when Spock already walked on such thin ice.

_Counselor's Log, supplemental. Mr. Spock, in his trial for mutiny, has manipulated the court into accepting a strange, almost impossible evidence. On the monitor screen we see unfolding the past voyage of Captain Christopher Pike to Talos Four, the only forbidden planet in our galaxy._

"Screen on," Mendez ordered.

_** "We've settled into orbit, sir."**_

_** "Geological lab report complete, Captain," an officer said.**_

_** "Preliminary lab survey ready, sir," Spock reported.**_

_** "Spectography?" Pike ordered.**_

_** "Our reading shows an oxygen nitrogen atmosphere, sir, heavy with inert elements, but well within safety limits," the geologist reported.**_

_** "Gravity?"**_

_** "Zero point nine of Earth."**_

_** The navigator cut in, "Captain? Reflections, sir, from the planet's surface. As I read it, they polarize out as rounded metal bits. Could be part of a spaceship hull."**_

_** Pike responded, "Prep a landing party of six." He motioned to Spock and the navigator. "You feel up to it?"**_

_** "Yes, sir," Spock said.**_

_** "Yes, sir."**_

_** "Sorry, Number One," Pike said to the female officer. "With little information on the planet, we'l have to leave the ship's most experienced officer here covering us."**_

_** "Of course, sir," she said, not offended at all.**_

_** The others went to the Transporter room, where Pike said to the operator, "There's no indication of problems down there, but let's not take chances."**_

_** "Yes, sir. There's a canyon to the left. We can set you there completely unobserved."**_

_** "Right."**_

_** The six were transported to the planet's surface, which was surprisingly barren. After a little while, though, they found a settlement. It looked exactly as a settlement would be expected after eighteen years, with signs that it was made from a crashed and cannibalized ship.**_

_** "Sir," one of the crewmen said suddenly, and people moved out from the settlement, looking at the crew.**_

_** "They're men," an old man said. "They're humans."**_

_** "Captain Christopher Pike," the Captain said, "United Space Ship Enterprise."**_

_** One of the men stepped forward and said, "Doctor Theodore Haskins, American Continent Institute."**_

_** "Is Earth alright?" one of the survivors asked eagerly.**_

_** "The same old Earth," Pike said with a smile, "and you'll see it again very soon."**_

_** The navigator picked up this tone and told them, "And you won't believe how fast you can get back. Well the time barrier's been broken. Our new ships can-"**_

_** He stopped abruptly as a young, beautiful woman came out from the midst of the settlers and seemed fixated on the Captain.**_

_** "This is Vina," Haskins said. "Her parents are dead. She was born almost as we crashed."**_

_** The strangeness of the situation was compounded when the viewpoint of the screen shifted to show several alien beings watching this interaction on a screen. The Talosians had large craniums, and long faces.**_

_** Pike had the survivors pack up the settlement, and as they were working, he took out his communicator.**_

_** "Enterprise."**_

_** The voice of Number One answered, "Landing party, come in."**_

_** "We'll begin transporting the survivors and their effects up to you very shortly."**_

_** "Quarters are being prepared, sir. Have I permission to send out scouting and scientific parties now?"**_

_** "Yes, affirmative on the-"**_

_** Vina came up from behind him and circled him like a wild animal, saying, "You appear to be healthy and intelligent, Captain. A prime specimen."**_

_** "I didn't get that last message, Captain," Number One said through the communicator.**_

_** "Er, affirmative on the request," Pike said, bemused. "Landing party out."**_

_** Haskins came forward, a bit sheepish, and said, "You must forgive her choice of words, Captain. She's lived her whole life with a collection of aging scientists."**_

_** Doctor Boyce cleared his throat.**_

_** "If they can, er, spare you a moment, I'd like to make my medical report."**_

_** Vina turned to Haskins and said in a not-so-low voice, "I think it's time to show the Captain our secret."**_

_** Boyce, meanwhile, said to the Captain, "Their health is excellent, almost too good."**_

_** Haskins stepped forward and said, "There's a reason for our condition, but we've had some doubt if Earth is ready to learn the secret. Let the girl show you. We'll accept your judgment."**_

_** Pike hesitated only a moment before following Vina away from the encampment, up a slope to a rock face.**_

_** "You're tired," she said as he panted, "but don't worry. You'll feel much better soon. Don't you see it? Here and here?"**_

_** Pike looked where she gestured, but nothing was there.**_

_** "I, I don't understand," he said.**_

_** "You will," Vina said cryptically. "You're a perfect choice."**_

_** All of a sudden, she vanished, as did the survivors and encampment. A door opened in the rock face and Pike was struck from behind, knocked out and taken inside the doors. At the encampment, or where the encampment had been, the crew had caught on to what was happening.**_

_** "Captain!" the navigator cried, leading the way as the landing party hurried to where the Captain had disappeared from. They arrived just in time to door closing in the rock face, and they fired their phasers at it urgently, but to no avail. It was unmoved.**_

_** Spock pulled out his communicator.**_

_** "Spock here."**_

_** "Landing party," said Number One, "come in."**_

_** "There is no survivor's encampment, Number One," he said levelly. "This is all some sort of trap. We've lost the Captain. Do you read?"**_

Vivian saw the light on the intercom and turned off the screen. Captain Kirk looked at her, frowning.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Bridge," Vivian said. "A message for Commodore Mendez. A plead signal."

Vivian pressed the intercom button.

Kirk raised an eyebrow, surprised, turning to the Commodore. "For you, sir. Go ahead, Bridge."

"Commodore Mendez, urgent," Sulu relayed. "Subspace monitors show Enterprise receiving transmissions from planet Talos Four in violation of Starfleet General Orders."

"Receiving transmissions from Talos Four?" repeated, bewildered. She turned to Spock. "Then the images we've been seeing are-"

"Are coming from Talos Four, sir," Spock said with a nod. Vivian could feel her hands beginning to shake again, and she urgently gripped them together.

"Captain Kirk is hereby relieved," Sulu continued. "You are ordered to assume command of the Enterprise. Disable vessel if necessary to disable further contact. Message signed ComSol, Starfleet Command."

Mendez drew himself up angrily and turned to face Spock.

"Mr. Spock," he said, "you're aware of the orders regarding any contact with Talos Four. You have deliberately invited the death penalty. You've not only finished yourself, Spck, but you've finished your Captain as well."

Vivian stood up, horrified.

"Commodore, please, you know perfectly well that Captain Kirk knew as little as you!"

"And you are aware, Doctor Buckingham," Mendez said coolly, "a Captain is responsible for everything that occurs on her ship. Spock, I order you to return this vessel back to manual control."

Vivian whipped around to look at Spock, who continued to stare at Mendez. His face was unreadable as usual.

"Sir," he said, "I respectfully decline."

"Very well," Mendez snarled. "You've earned the consequences. This court is in recess."

Mendez stormed out with the yeoman keeping the record, followed not only after by McCoy and Scott, who looked stunned, wheeling out Captain Pike. Vivian felt sick.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Kirk demanded. "Have you lost your mind?"

Spock had a startling lack of urgency in his voice as he said, "Captain... Jamie, please don't stop me. Don't let him stop me. It's your career and Captain Pike's life. You must see the rest of the transmission."

Vivian looked at him, feeling her thumbs twitching as she realized what the Captain was going to say. If they tried to take back control of the ship, they would die. Regardless of their destination, Spock would be ruined, and possibly the Captain as well. If Vivian tried to help him, her own career would be finished.

But if they went to Talos, Spock would be sentenced to death. And how could she live with herself if that happened, and she didn't know if he was justified or not? How would she ever be able to look at her own face in the mirror knowing she didn't try?

"Lock him up," the Captain said to the security guards, and Spock was taken to the Brig.

Vivian watched him go.

"Captain," she said softly.

"No, Vivian," Kirk said firmly. "I...I know, but what can we do?"

Vivian felt her nostrils flare and her feet carried her out of the room before she realized where she was going. She stood outside the brig, looking in at Spock, who was staring at the wall, not acknowledging her.

"Let me in," she told a security officer. He hesitated. "Let me in or I'm relieving you, Ensign."

The young officer trained his phaser on a docile Spock while he lowered the force field enough to let Vivian in before replacing it.

"Give us a few minutes, Ensign," she said. "Please."

Again, the officer hesitated, but he said, "Yes, Counselor. Five minutes."

He walked away toward the turbolift, probably meaning to walk a tour of the corridor and return, but she had no time to waste. Vivian turned to Spock, who finally looked at her for the first time since she did her evaluation.

"What do you think you're doing?" she said, trying to sound firm. Her voice shook. "What... Spock, why are you doing this?"

"It is the only way."

His voice was flat, his eyes dull. Whatever it was he was doing, he was convinced.

"Tell me why," she said, sitting down beside him on the cot. "Not the whole thing if you can't, but something. Tell me it's worth your career, your life, and let me help you."

"No, Counselor," he said, abruptly. He sprung up from the cot, crossing to the other side of the small room, staring at the force field. "It is enough that as much is at stake as already is. There is no need for your career to be on the line."

Vivian shook her head, standing and crossing to him, not letting him get away with ignoring her again. Five minutes was not enough with a man so stubborn as Spock.

"Look at me," she said firmly. He continued to look away, and she lost it, touching his face with one hand. He jerked away with surprise, looking at her almost on instinct. His eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up. "I'm sorry, but you left me on a shuttlecraft without fuel and with almost no air and you just ask me to do nothing, give me no explanations? What if they say no to the rest of the transmissions? Will you tell me then?"

Spock took a deep breath, but said nothing for a long moment. Finally, he shook his head and said, "Counselor, I did not intend for you to come with the Captain. I expected you to stay at Starbase Eleven, that we would retrieve you after-"

"What?" she snapped, taking a step back, actually feeling hurt. "What would make you think I would just...just stay when you... They thought you'd gone mad! Have you?"

"There is no need for you to ask that question, Vivian," he said softly. "You said yourself in your report that I am quite sane."

Vivian shook her head, pacing the small room twice quickly.

"Spock, I want to trust you," she said, looking up at him, "but I am afraid."

"Why?" he said.

His voice was surprisingly gentle. She glanced out at the corridor wondering how much longer she had.

"Getting on that shuttlecraft I was so sure you were going to take us on, that some mistake had been made, that you wouldn't let us run out of fuel," she felt her hands shaking, but she couldn't spare the mental energy to stop them. She was mentally and emotionally exhausted. "But then the fuel ran out and the air started going and I realized I had no... I didn't know..."

Spock did not look away from her face, but he took her trembling hands in his hands and held them still. Her cheeks flushed realizing he knew. He had seen, something she had worked so hard to conceal for years.

"They do that," she said, horrified at how small her voice sounded. "My Academy examination doesn't have it because it doesn't happen often, and it doesn't impact my work or my judgment. I don't do surgery. I don't need..." She looked up at his face as he just watched her. "Spock, they haven't stopped since the fuel ran out on the shuttlecraft."

He stared at her, and after a long moment he said, "Why?"

"I'm afraid," she said softly.

"You are safe," he said. "I would never have let you die in the shuttlecraft, and I will not let you ruin your career with this situation."

"I'm not afraid for me," she said, feeling her thumbs twitch against his as he held them against her palms. "I'm afraid for you! Spock, your career is over, but your life-"

"My life is unimportant," he said. "Captain Pike needs this. Captain Kirk's career needs to be redeemed. But do not press. Do not put your career on the line as well."

His eyes gave her no answers, and she still felt very afraid, but she could hear the footsteps of the Security officer returning and she pulled her trembling hands from his steady ones, clasping them together again behind her back.

"Thank you, Ensign," she said loudly. "I'm finished."

"Vivian," Spock said softly, "please."

Her chest tightened, but she walked out when the forcefield was lowered to let her out.

It wasn't until the turbolift that she broke down, looking at her violently shaking hands and feeling her vision blur as she gave a single, strangled sob.

How could she help him if she didn't know what to do?


	8. The Menagerie, Part 2

_Personal Log, stardate 3013.1. I find it hard to believe the events of the past twenty-four hours or the plea of Mr. Spock standing general court-martial. Why? Why does Spock want to take to that forbidden world his former captain, mutilated by a recent space disaster, now a shell of a man, unable to speak or move? The only answer Spock would give was on the hearing-room screen. How Spock could do this he refused to explain, but there before our eyes, actual images from thirteen years ago of Captain Pike as he was when he commanded this vessel, of Spock in those days, and of how the Enterprise had become the first and only starship to visit Talos Four. They had received a distress signal from that planet and discovered there, still alive after many years, the survivors of a missing vessel, only to find it was all an illusion. No survivors, no encampment, it was all a trap set by a race of beings who could make a man believe he was seeing anything they wished him to see, and Captain Pike was gone, a prisoner for some unknown purpose. The court-martial of Mr. Spock has been convened in closed session. Counselor Buckingham is taking the record due to her security clearance, because despite all we can do, images continue to be transmitted to us from Talos Four. Spock was hesitant to continue the trial, asked that the Counselor be replaced, but there was no one else on the ship with clearance anywhere nearly as high, and when he was informed of the necessity we were ready to commence._

Pulling her chair closer to the table, Vivian toggled the switch to record and turned to the panel, avoiding looking at Spock, feeling her fingers twitching on the table. How dare he ask her to leave, after everything he'd put her through?

"Ready, Commodore," she said coolly.

Mendez cleared his throat and said, "Starfleet has ordered no contact with Talos Four. They made no exceptions."

"You have no choice, sir," Spock said calmly. "I'm sorry. The Keeper has taken over control of our screen. Do you understand, sir?" A single flash of light on Captain Pike's wheelchair. "As you saw before, Captain Pike had been knocked unconscious and captured by the Talosians."

The screen turned on of its own accord.

_** Captain Pike was in a rock room, and he pressed against the fourth side, finding that some sort of transparent wall blocked his way, locking him inside, and he began to test its strength, throwing himself against it. A group of the Talosians approached.**_

_** "Can you hear me?" he said to them. "My name is Christopher Pike, commander of the space vehicle Enterprise from a stellar group at the other end of this galaxy. Our intentions are peaceful. Can you understand me?"**_

_** The aliens began to communicate, disregarding his words, and their mouths did not move. They were communicating not with voices, but with their minds. And yet the sound came perfectly through on the screen.**_

_** "It appears, Magistrate, that the intelligence of the specimen is shockingly limited."**_

_** The one called Magistrate responded, "This is no surprise since his vessel was baited here so easily with a simulated message. As you can read in its thoughts, it is only now beginning to suspect that the survivors and encampment were a simply illusion we placed in their minds."**_

_** "You're not speaking," Pike said, bewildered, "yet I can hear you."**_

_** "You will note the confusion as it reads our thought transmissions."**_

_** "Alright, then, telepathy," Pike said, growing irritated. "You can read my mind. I can read yours. Now, unless you want my ship to consider capturing me an unfriendly act-"**_

_** "You now see the primitive fear-threat reaction. The specimen is about to boast of his strength, the weaponry of his vessel, and so on. Next, frustrated into a need to display physical prowess, the creature will throw himself against the transparency."**_

_** Christopher Pike was readying himself to do just that, but he stopped at this word and grew increasingly irritated.**_

_** "If you were in here, wouldn't you test the strength of these walls, too? There's a way out of any cage, and I'll find it."**_

_** "Despite its frustration," the Magistrate continued, "the creature appears to be more adaptable than our specimens from other planets. We can soon begin the experiments."**_

_** The transmission on the screen focused then on the briefing room of the Enterprise. Spock was explaining the situation for the other senior officers.**_

_** "The inhabitants of the planet must live deep underground," he reasoned, "probably manufacture food and other needs down there. Our tests indicate the planet surface, without considerably more vegetation or some animals, simply too barren to support life."**_

_** The woman called Number One said, "So we just thought we saw survivors there."**_

_** "Exactly," Spock said. "An illusion placed in our minds by this planet's inhabitants."**_

_** "It was a perfect illusion," Doctor Boyce said with a bewildered frown. "They had us seeing just what we wanted to see, human beings who'd survived with dignity and bravery, everything entirely logical, right down to the building of the camp, the tattered clothing, everything. Now let's be sure we understand the danger of this. The inhabitants of this planet can read our minds. They can create illusions out of a person's own thoughts, memories, and experiences, even out of a person's own desires. Illusions just as real and solid as this tabletop and just as impossible to ignore."**_

_** This information sank in on the officers, and how complete and complicated such things were. How could they fight something with a power like that?**_

_** "It's Captain Pike they've got," the navigator said firmly. "He needs help."**_

_** "If we start buzzing about down there," Spock warned, "we're liable to find their mental powers so great they could reach out and swat this ship as thought it were a fly."**_

_** "Now that entry may have stood up against hand phasers," the navigator continued, "but we can transmit the ship's power against it, enough to blast half a continent."**_

_** The woman named Number One considered this for a moment before nodding and saying, "Engineering deck will right to transmit ship's power. We'll try blasting through that metal."**_

_** The screen returned to the Talosians, now in their own monitoring room, watching Captain Pike on a screen.**_

_** "Thousands of us are already probing the creature's thoughts, Magistrate," one of the Talosians transmitted. "We find excellent memory capacity."**_

_** The Magistrate responded, "I read most strongly a recent death struggle in which it fought to protect its life. We begin with this, giving the specimen something more interesting to protect."**_

_** The screen focused again on Captain Pike, but he was no longer seeming to be in his cell. Instead, he was near a fortress, and a blonde woman in an elaborate pale gown was rushing up to him shouting, "Come on, we must hide ourselves. Come, come, hurry. It's deserted. There'll be weapons and perhaps food."**_

_** "This is Rigel Seven," Pike said slowly, looking around.**_

_** "Please," she pressed, "we must hide ourselves."**_

_** He paid her little mind, focusing on the strange puzzle he was presented with.**_

_** "I was in a cage, a cell, in some kind of zoo. I must still be there."**_

_** "Come on."**_

_** "They've reached into my mind and taken a memory of somewhere I've been."**_

_** A tusked beast came over the ridge and the girl screamed, "The Kaylar!"**_

_** Pike was startled, but he focused his thoughts on puzzling out the situation.**_

_** "It's starting just as it happened two weeks ago," he said, frowning at her, "except for you."**_

Spock's voice pulled Vivian out of the events on the screen, reminding her that they were in the hearing room, not just watching the prior life of Christopher Pike.

"A brilliant deduction by Captain Pike, gentlemen," he said. "Yes, he was still inside his cell, but knowing that couldn't help him."

"Because the Talosians had control of the perceptual centers of his brain," Vivian said, speaking before thinking. Technically, she shouldn't have been part of the hearing, just the keeper of the record.

Spock seemed startled by her voice, and he looked at her for the first time since she'd left him in the Brig, his eyes dark and fathomless as they watched her.

"And could make him live any place, any time, any situation they wished," he continued with a nod, looking away without really acknowledging her. "He would see, taste, suffer with the same reality as you gentlemen sitting there."

_**Pike was already continuing to address the blonde saying, "Longer hair, different dress, but it is you, the one the survivors call Vina. Or rather the image of Vina. But why you again? Why didn't they create a different girl?"**_

_** "Quick," the girl said urgently. "If you attack while it's not looking."**_

_** "But it's only a dream."**_

_** "You have to kill him as you did here before."**_

_** "You can tell my jailers I won't go along with it," Pike said firmly. "I'm not an animal performing for its supper."**_

_** "It doesn't matter what you call this," Vina pressed, her voice tight with anxiety, "you'll feel it. That's what matters. You'll feel every moment of what happens to you."**_

_** With this news in mind, Pike proceeded to fight the Kaylar with a mace and shield. As they struggled, he lost his weapons, and used whatever he could grab hold of. He was eventually driven over a ledge by the Kaylar, and as it jumped after him Pike managed to impale it on a barbed spear. Almost instantly, the cell reappeared, but Vina stayed. She hugged Pike and said, "It's over."**_

_** The Talosians reappeared, but suddenly the screen went dark.**_

"What is it?" Mendez demanded. "Why have they stopped the images?"

"Because they know that Captain Pike is fatigued," Spock said calmly, and Vivian turned to see the Captain asleep in his wheelchair. "We can reconvene later."

"Then they care about the Captain," Kirk said slowly.

"It seems they want him back alive and mentally healthy, sir," Vivian said, wondering if she should stop the record or wait until Mendez gave her the word. Spock nodded at her and she almost turned off the recording, but she realized he was confirming her speculation.

Mendez said, "I demand to know why."

"If you'll be patient," Spock said, "the answers to your questions-"

"You're forgetting you're on trial, Spock. You will answer all questions put to you."

"My answer to your question would be quite unbelievable, sir. I regret you'll have to wait and see it there."

Mendez fumed but could not say anything further, so he had Spock taken back to the Brig and Vivian and Kirk lingered in the hearing room.

"What do you make of this?" Kirk asked. "All the secrecy, his defiance of the rules?" And then there's the fact he tried to get you barred from the trial."

That stung, and the reminders made Vivian feel slightly sick to her stomach. She shook her head and said, "I wouldn't say he's defiant, Captain. Whatever he's doing, he thinks it is the only possible course. I just wish I knew what it was."

The two women just stood in silence for a few long moments before Vivian said, "He'll need food soon. I should-"

"Security can feed him, Counselor."

"Please, Jamie," Vivian sighed, rubbing her eyes with slightly shaking hands. "I need to try. He won't say what he's doing but… Maybe he'll say something. Anything."

The Captain gave her permission, and Vivian fetched a tray of food for Spock, nothing fancy or particular, just a food card from his file. He didn't look at her as she was let in, nor as she set the tray in front of him.

"Mr. Spock," she said coolly, clasping her hands behind her back firmly. "I'll just leave now, since my presence is obviously disagreeable to you."

"It is not," he said before she even had time to turn. "That is not…."

His voice trailed off as Vivian watched him expectantly. She tried not to appear too anxious, but she needed to know. Finally, he looked up at her.

"Spock," she said softly, "I'm not asking you to explain your…actions, but I do want you to know that my human feelings were hurt. I won't demand an apology or an explanation, but I wanted you to know that."

"You need not ask," he said softly as she turned away. "I apologize regardless. I thought…. It does not matter what I thought. You are the only qualified person. It was wrong of me to make the request. And I did not mean to hurt your feelings."

Vivian would have believed he was sincere without everything that had happened, but she didn't know what was true anymore.

"Qualifications aside," she said darkly, "I feel I'm owed an explanation as much as Captain Kirk for what has happened. And I'm going to be there whether you want me there or not. I appreciate the apology. Enjoy your food."

She hurried out before he could say a word, struggling to keep her hands clasped.

_Personal log, stardate 3013.2. Reconvening court-martial of Mr. Spock and the strangest trial evidence ever heard aboard a starship. From the mysterious planet now only one hour ahead of us, the story of Captain Pike's imprisonment there._

_** "Why are you here?" Pike asked Vina.**_

_** "To please you," she said.**_

_** "Are you real?"**_

_** "As real as you wish."**_

_** "No, no," Pike said, stepping back. "No, that's not an answer. I've never met you before, never even imagined you."**_

_** The blonde was continuing to be evasive, however, saying, "Perhaps they made me out of dreams you've forgotten."**_

_** "What, and dress you in the same metal fabric they wear?"**_

_** It was a good point, but Vina wasn't biting. Instead, she said, "I can wear whatever you wish, be anything you wish."**_

_** "So they can see how their specimen performs? They want to see how I react, is that it?"**_

_** "Don't you have a, a dream, something you've always wanted very badly?"**_

_** Pike was not listening, or at least not answering, pressing on about the Talosians.**_

_** "Or do they do more than watch me?" he asked. "Do they feel with me, too?"**_

_** "You can have whatever dream you want," she insisted, "I can become anything, any woman you, you've ever imagined. You can have anything you want in the whole universe. Let me please you."**_

_** "Yes," he said suddenly. "Yes, you can please me. Tell me about them. Is there any way I can keep them from probing my mind, from using my thoughts against me?" She shrank away from him slightly. "Does that frighten you?" he asked, excited. "Does that mean there is a way?"**_

_** The screen then moved to the surface of the planet, to the rock face hiding the door that Pike had been dragged through. Number one and a small team stood there, watching the door. She flipped a switch, aimed a laser, and engaged her communicator.**_

_** "All circuits engaged, Mr. Spock."**_

_** Spock's voice replied, "Standing by, Number One."**_

_** "Take cover," Number One instructed her team.**_

_** "Ten," Spock's voice said, "nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two one."**_

_** The phaser cannon blasted the rock face with incredible force, enough to shear away the entire cliff, but there was no obvious impact. It was as if the phaser did nothing at all.**_

_** "Increase to full power!" Number One said loudly into the communicator. There was an increase, but no change in the effect. "Can you give us anymore?"**_

_** Spock replied, "Our circuits are beginning to heat. We'll have to cease power."**_

_** "Disengage." She closed the communicator when the blast ceased and she shook her head. "The top of that knoll should have been sheared off the first second."**_

_** Doctor Boyce said, "Maybe it was. It's what I tried to explain in the briefing room. Their power of illusion is so great, we can't be sure of anything we do."**_

_** The screen switched back to Pike's cell, where Vina was still trying to get something out of Pike, who was trying to learn more about the Talosians through her.**_

_** "Perhaps," she said, "if you asked me some questions I could answer."**_

_** "How far can they control my mind?" Pike asked eagerly.**_

_** But Vina was no fool, and she said, "If I tell you, then will you pick some dream you've had and let me live it with you?"**_

_** "Perhaps."**_

_** Encouraged, she answered, "They can't actually make you do anything you don't want to do."**_

_** "But they try to trick me with their illusions."**_

_** "And, er, they can punish you when you're not cooperative. You'll find out about that."**_

_** "Did they ever live on the surface of this planet?" he asked. "Why did they go underground?"**_

_** "War, thousands of centuries ago."**_

_** "That's why it's so barren up there?"**_

_** "The planet's only now becoming able to support life again."**_

_** Pike turned to look around the cell as he said, "So the Talosians who came underground found life limited here and they concentrated on developing their mental power."**_

_** "But they find it's a trap," Vina offered, "like a narcotic, because when dreams become more important than reality, you give up travel, building, creating. You even forget how to repair the machines left behind by your ancestors. You just sit, living and reliving other lives left behind in the thought record."**_

_** "Or sit probing minds of zoo specimens like me," Pike said bitterly.**_

_** "You're better than a theatre to them. They create the illusion for you, they watch you react, feel your emotions. They have a whole collection of specimens, descendants of life brought back long ago from all over this part of the galaxy."**_

_** Pike whipped around, suddenly realizing what she was saying.**_

_** "Which means they had to have more than one of each animal."**_

_** Vina seemed to realize she'd said too much and looked horrified, eager to get her end of the bargain payed.**_

_** "Please."**_

_** "They'll need a pair of humans, too," he said. "Where do they intend to get the Earth woman?"**_

_** "You said that if I answered questions-"**_

_** "But that was a bargain with something that doesn't exist. You said you weren't real, remember?"**_

_** Frustrated, Vina cried, "I'm a woman as real and as human as you are. We are like Adam and Even. If we – No, please no!" She was suddenly very violently distressed. "Don't punish me! I'll die!"**_

_** Before Pike could reach her in her distress, she vanished in thin air.**_

Mendez frowned and said, "An Earth woman? Then you were captured as breeding stock."

He turned to Captain Pike in time to see the single flash of the light, and Vivian felt slightly sick to her stomach, failing to see why Spock would want to bring Captain Pike back to this planet.

"But to what purpose?" she demanded. "Just to supply themselves with specimens?"

"Much more, Counselor," Spock said, turning and nodding at the screen again.

_** On the screen, Pike was searching the walls of his cell for a door, some sort of opening. As he did, a Talosian opened a hatch and put a small glass on the floor.**_

_** "The vial," the Talosian transmitted, "contains a nourishing protein complex."**_

_** "Is the keeper actually communicating with one of his animals?" Pike sneered.**_

_** "If the form and color is not appealing," the Keeper transmitted, taking no notice of the taunt, "it can appear as any food you wish to visualize."**_

_** "And if I prefer-"**_

_** "To starve? You overlook the unpleasant alternative of punishment."**_

_** Suddenly, Captain Pike found himself surrounded by fire and brimstone, and he screamed in pain, in agony. With another brief second past, he was back in his cell.**_

_** "From a fable you once heard in childhood," the Keeper explained. "You will now consume the nourishment."**_

_** Pike, unimpressed, said, "Why not just put irresistible hunger in my mind? Because you can't, can you? You do have limitations, don't you?"**_

_** The Keeper was not swayed, however, and he transmitted, "If you continue to disobey, from deeper in your mind, there are things even more unpleasant."**_

_** This seemed to make an impression on Pike, because he did pick up the vial and drink it. But as soon as he finished, he launched himself at the glass wall, which caused the Keeper to take a step backward in surprise.**_

_** "That's very interesting," Pike said slowly.**_

_** "Now to the female," the Keeper transmitted, trying to brush off his reaction as nothing.**_

_** "You were startled," Pike replied, refusing to be deterred. "Weren't you reading my mind then?"**_

_** The Keeper was persistent as well.**_

_** "As you've conjectured, an Earth vessel did crash on our planet, but with only a single survivor."**_

_** "No, let's stay on the first subject. All I wanted for that moment was to get my hands around your neck."**_

_** "We repaired the survivor's injuries and found the species interesting."**_

_** "Do primitive thoughts put up a block you can't read through?"**_

_** "It became necessary to attract a mate."**_

_** "Alright, alright," Pike sighed, frustrated. "Let's talk about the girl. You seem to be going out of your way to make her attractive, to make me feel protective."**_

_** "This is necessary in order to perpetuate the species."**_

_** "Seems more important to you now that I begin to accept and like her."**_

_** "We wish our specimens to be happy in their new life."**_

_** "Assuming that's true," Pike said, frowning, "why would you want me attracted to her? So I'll feel love in a husband-wife relationship? That would only be necessary if you intend to build a family group, or perhaps a whole human community."**_

_** "With the female now properly conditioned-"**_

_** "You mean properly punished!" Pike snapped. "I'm the one who's not cooperating! Why don't you punish me?"**_

_** The Keeper smiled.**_

_** "First, an emotion of protectiveness. Now one of sympathy. Excellent."**_

_** The cell and the Keeper both vanished, and Christopher Pike was standing in a woodland glade, looking down at Vina, who was laying out a picnic blanket.**_

_** "You want some coffee, dear?" she asked, nonchalant. "I left the thermos hooked to my saddle."**_

_** Pike turned to find a familiar horse staring back at him.**_

_** "Tango!" he said, patting the horse. "You old devil, you. Uh, I'm sorry I don't have any sugar." But Pike put his hand in his pocket and pulled it out again with a handful of sugar lumps. "Well, they think of everything, don't they?" He fed Tango the lumps.**_

_** "Is it good to be home?" Vina asked happily.**_

_** "They read our minds very well," Pike said pointedly, stressing that he wasn't going to let himself forget that he was in an illusion. "Home, anything else I want if I cooperate, is that it?"**_

_** Vina resisted his attempts to draw her out of the illusion.**_

_** "My, it turned out to be a lovely day, didn't it? You're home. You can even stay if you want."**_

_** "But we're not here, neither of us. We're in a menagerie, a cage!"**_

_** "No," she moaned.**_

_** "I can't help either of us if you won't give me a chance," he said. "Now, you told me once they used illusions as a narcotic. They couldn't repair the machines built by their ancestors. Is that why they want us, to build a colony of slaves?"**_

_** "Stop it," Vina said, horrified. "Don't you care what they'll do to us?"**_

_** Pike obviously didn't, and he pressed on.**_

_** "Back in my cage, it seemed for a couple of minutes that our Keeper couldn't read my thoughts. Do emotions like hate, keeping hate in your mind, does that block off our mind from them?"**_

_** "Yes," she finally said. "They can't read through primitive emotions, but you can't keep it up for long enough. I've tried. They keep at you and at you year after year, tricking and punishing, and they won. They own me. I know you must hate me for that."**_

_** "Oh, no," Pike said earnestly. "I don't hate you. I can guess what it was like."**_

_** "But that's not enough," she said, shaking her head. "Don't you see? They read my thoughts, my feelings, my dreams of what would be a perfect man. That's why they picked you. I can't help but love you and they expect you to feel the same way."**_

_** "If they can read my mind, then they know I'm attracted to you. I was from the very first moment I saw you in the survivor's camp. You were like a wild little animal."**_

_** Vina walked away from him a few paces, a thoughtful gleam in her shining blue eyes.**_

_** "I'm beginning to see why none of this has worked for you," she said slowly. "You've been home, and fighting as on Rigel. That's not new to you, either. A person's strongest dreams are about what he can't do. Yes, a ship's captain, always having to be so formal, so decent and honest and proper. You must wonder what it would be like to forget all that."**_

_** Suddenly, the glade vanished, and Pike was on a cushion at an open air party, with a band playing and a green woman dancing for an audience of men. A trader leaned forward toward Pike and said, "Nice place you have here, Mr. Pike."**_

_** Pike, however, was fixated on the green-skinned woman dancing wildly and provocatively in the center, her raven black hair flowing down her shoulders. Different, but still recognizable from her features and brilliant blue eyes.**_

_** "Vina?" he muttered, bewildered by this new incarnation.**_

Kirk leaned forward, frowning.

"That's Vina again, as the green Orion slave girl?" she asked. Captain Pike responded with a single flash.

"They're like animals," Mendez said, a little dazed, "vicious, seductive. They say no human male can resist them."

_Personal Log, supplemental. Strange evidence from the past, how the Talosians, planning to breed a society of human slaves, tempted Captain Pike with the Earth woman they held captive. And as she appeared to him in many forms, each more exciting than the last, Pike was beginning to weaken._

_** A man in a Starfleet uniform turned to the bewildered Pike and said with a grin, "Suppose you had all of space to chose from and this was only one small sample."**_

_** The trader nodded and said, "Wouldn't you say it was worth a man's soul?"**_

_** But Captain Pike was not listening. He stood abruptly, exiting the hall, moving down a corridor, trying to clear his head. Vivian could see his nostrils flaring as he tried to clear his head. This opportunity was not given to him. Vina followed him into the room with walls of rock, but the images on the screen shifted focus, returning the viewers to the Enterprise, where an away team had gathered in the Transporter Room. Number One was adjusting her phaser as she addressed the team.**_

_** "Now, you all know the situation. We're hoping to transport down inside the Talosian community."**_

_** "If our measurements and readings are an illusion also," Spock said calmly, "one could find oneself materialized inside solid rock."**_

_** "Nothing will be said if any volunteer wants to back out."**_

_** Number One looked around at the other four on the team, but there were no objections. The six-person away team took their places on the transporter platform, and with a nod from Number One, the transporter operator energized. But instead of the team being dematerialized, only Number One and a young female lieutenant were taken. The men looked around, confused when they were still standing in the transporter room.**_

_** "The women!" Spock cried, the first to realize what had happened.**_

_** Instead of cutting back to the rock room where Vina and Captain Pike had been, the viewers were taken back to Captain Pike's cell, which had rematerialized around the pair, and with it the two women.**_

_** "Captain!" Number One said, confused and pleased. "Captain."**_

_** "No!" Vina cried in despair to the ceiling. "Let me finish!"**_

_** Number One then looked around at her surroundings, realizing what the men had learned on the ship orbiting above.**_

_** "But we were a party of six."**_

_** "We were the only ones transported," the lieutenant said, frowning with confusion.**_

_** "It's not fair," Vina whined, still talking to the ceiling. "You don't need them."**_

_** Pike, however, was focusing on the issues he had focused on from the very beginning, his resolve renewed by the arrival of his two crewmembers. He grabbed the phaser pistols from the women and examined them.**_

_** "They don't work," he said, frustrated.**_

_** This brings Number One's attention to the matter at hand as well, and she said, "They were fully charged when he left." But she checked her phaser as well and confirmed. "It's dead." She pulled out her communicator and tried to get the signal working. "I can't make a signal. What is it?"**_

_** She frowned as Pike took on an expression of deep concentration, but he waved her away.**_

_** "Don't say anything," he said urgently. "I'm filling my mind with a picture of beating their huge, misshapen heads to a pulp, thoughts so primitive they block out everything else. I'm filling my mind with hate."**_

_** Vina, however, was derisive, no longer beseeching and patient. It seemed that the arrival of others had taken away her sweetness and replaced it with desperation and bitterness.**_

_** "How long can you block your thoughts?" she heckled. "A few minutes? An hour? How can that help?"**_

_** "Leave him alone," the lieutenant said firmly, but Vina lashed out at the young woman.**_

_** "He doesn't need you. He's already picked me."**_

_** The lieutenant, obviously still unsure what she'd stepped into said, "Picked her? For what? I don't understand."**_

_** "Now, there's a choice for intelligent offspring," Vina scoffed.**_

_** "Offspring, as in children?"**_

_** Number One, much quicker than her companion turned to Vina and said, "Offspring as in, he's Adam. Is that it?"**_

_** Vina, venomous and angry turned on Number One next, saying, "You're no better choice. They'd have more luck crossing him with a computer."**_

_** But Number One was not intimidated with this bile, and she turned Vina's venom back on her. She said, "Well, shall we do some time computation? There was a Vina listed on that expedition as an adult crewman. Now, adding eighteen years to your age then-"**_

_** Before she could impart this interesting bit of information, however, the Keeper approached the cell's transparent wall, and Vina cut across her, beseeching him.**_

_** "It's not hair. I did what you asked."**_

_** The Keeper ignored Vina, speaking directly to Captain Pike.**_

_** "Since you resist the specimen you now have a selection."**_

_** Pike, still focusing on hatred responded, "I'll break out of this zoo somehow and get to you. Is your blood red like ours? I'm going to find out."**_

_** As before, the Keeper and Pike talked over each other, not acknowledging the discussion of the other.**_

_** "Each of the two new specimen has qualities in her favor. The female you call Number One has the superior mind and would produce highly intelligent children."**_

_** "All I want to do is get my hands on you," Pike spat. "Can you read these thoughts, images of hate, killing?"**_

_** "The other new arrival has considered you unreachable but is now realizing this has changed." The lieutenant shifted uncomfortably with her thoughts so discussed. "The factors in her favor are youth and strength, plus unusually strong female drives."**_

_** The woman shifted again, and Pike seemed to not be interested, still talking on his own line.**_

_** "You'll find my thoughts more interesting, thoughts so primitive you can't understand, emotions so-"**_

_** He was obviously stricken with extreme pain, crumpling under the force of it, the women startled by this.**_

_** "Wrong thinking is punishable," the Keeper said calmly. "Right thinking will be as quickly rewarded. You will find it an effective combination."**_

_** The Keeper left, and Number One moved forward, and bent to help Pike, saying, "Captain," but he brushed her away.**_

_** "No. No, don't help me. I have to concentrate. They can't read through hate."**_

_** However, all mental focus is eventually broken, and they were shown later, dozing in a corner of the cage. The Keeper had returned, obviously sneaking forward. He opened the hatch to reach for the phasers the Captain had dropped earlier in the day. As he reached into the cell, however, Pike grabbed him by the arm and yanked him into the cage through the hatch, beginning to throttle him.**_

_** "Hold still or I'll break your neck," Pike said darkly.**_

_** "Don't hurt them," Vina said, horrified. "They don't mean to be evil."**_

_** Pike shook his head and said, "I've had some samples of how good they are." The Keeper used his power of illusion and suddenly transformed into a hideous, vicious, snarling monster beneath Pike's hands, but Pike was not shaken. He demanded, "You stop this illusion or I'll twist your head off." Sure enough, the Keeper was back in less than a moment. "Alright, now you try one more illusion, you try anything at all, and I'll break your neck."**_

_** The Keeper still had a few tricks in his bag, though, and he said, "Your ship. Release me, or I'll destroy it."**_

_** "He's not bluffing, Captain," Vina said. "With illusion they can make your crews work the wrong controls or push any button it takes to destroy your ship."**_

_** Captain Pike, though, shook his head and said, "I'm going to gamble you're too intelligent to kill for no reason at all." He got up and handed the Keeper to Number One, picking up the phaser guns, firing one at the clear wall.**_

_** "On the other hand," Pike continued, "I've got a reason. I'm willing to bet you've created an illusion this laser is empty. I think I've just blasted a hole in that window and you're keeping us from seeing it. You want me to test my theory out on your head?"**_

_** While he brandished the phaser at the Keeper, however, the lieutenant pointed at the wall and said, "Captain."**_

_** As predicted, there was a hole in the clear wall, and the whole group left through it, the Keeper at phaser-point.**_

The screen suddenly turned off, and despite Vivian's efforts, the images did not return.

"It seems the Talosians have deserted you," Mendez said, turning to Spock as Vivian tried everything she could think of. She wanted to ask Spock for help, but it didn't seem appropriate while he was on trial.

"Gentlemen, a moment, please," he said, although his calm seemed a little more tense than usual.

"Spock, what's happened?" she finally asked, but no one was listening to her. Vivian was pressing every screen-related button she could find in every combination she could come up with.

Mendez turned to Captain Pike and said, "May I have your verdict?"

If he had not been a Vulcan, Vivian would have almost attributed Spock with desperation as he said, "Signal you want them to wait, Captain, please. It's your life now, at least a chance for a life."

Kirk frowned and said, "You keep talking about life, Mr. Spock. A chance for life. How? As a prisoner, caged, a zoo specimen, living the illusions that amuse his keepers?"

Vivian could feel her own desperation as she said, "Captain, please that can't be it. There's more to this story. Please, don't end the trial."

She continued pressing buttons frantically, but there was no method anymore. She had tried everything, but now all she could do was try for a random chance. The screen remained black.

With a cold, level voice, Mendez said, "Keep pressing buttons, Counselor, and your court-martial will be next."

She froze, looking up at Mendez, her hands hovering over the buttons. His eyes were firm, his mind made up. She turned to look at Spock, and his eyes were something like sad as he stared back at her. Slowly, Spock shook his head. Vivian took a step back from the controls, arms still frozen, hands trembling for everyone to see. She couldn't think about the signs of her fear. All she could think about was what would happen to Spock if they couldn't get the transmissions to finish.

Mendez had already returned to the trial, however, leaving Spock and Vivian staring at each other across the hearing room as he turned back to Pike.

"Guilty, yes or no, Captain?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Vivian could see a single flash on the wheelchair.

"Yes," Mendez said. "I must also vote guilty as charged. And you, Captain?"

Vivian held her breath, but she didn't need to look or hear to know Captain Kirk's answer. The Captain's voice was hard and dull as she said, "Guilty as charged."

"Bridge to Commodore," Hansen's voice said over the intercom as Vivian closed her eyes. There was nothing she could do anymore. Judgment had been passed. The corners of her eyes stung and she pressed the lids even tighter together.

"Mendez here."

"Sir, we're entering orbit around Talos Four."

There was a small pause and Vivian sat down, feeling sick to her stomach.

"Talos controls the vessel now, Captain," Spock said, still staring at Vivian as she opened her eyes again, blinking through the blur, "as they did thirteen years ago. You've asked me why. You'll see the answer now."

She turned her eyes away from Spock, clasping her hands together as the screen returned, but too late, she thought. Too late.

_**The group stood outside the rock face from before, and the door had been blown away after all from the force of the phaser fire.**_

_** "Make contact, Number One," Pike demanded, as he kept the phaser trained on the Keeper.**_

_** "They kept us from seeing this, too," she said, taking out the communicator, gesturing to the rock face. "We cut through it and never knew." But the communicator, it seemed, was still not working. "Captain."**_

_** The Keeper smiled a little and said, "As you can see, your attempt to escape accomplished nothing."**_

_** Pike was not finished.**_

_** "I want to contact our ship."**_

_** "You are now on the surface, where we wished you to be. With the female of your choice, you will now begin carefully guided lives."**_

_** "And start by burying you?" Pike snarled.**_

_** "That is your choice," the Keeper said with the dispassionate voice of a Vulcan. "To help you reclaim the planet's surface, our zoological gardens will furnish a variety of plant life."**_

_** "Look, I'll make a deal with you. You and your life for the lives of these two Earth women. You give me proof that our ship is alright, send these two back, and I'll stay with Vina."**_

_** But Number One, showing once again her quick thinking, took her phaser and began setting it to overload.**_

_** "It's wrong to create a whole race of humans to live as slaves," she said firmly, and the Keeper looked around at them, confused.**_

_** "Is this a deception?" he asked. "Do you intend to destroy yourselves?"**_

_** "What is that?" Vina asked, nervous.**_

_** "The weapon is building up an overload," Pike explained, "a force chamber explosion. You still have time to get underground." But Vina just stood there, looking at them, trying to understand. "Well, go on!" Pike pushed her away, but she did not walk. "Just to show you how primitive humans are, Talosian, you go with her."**_

_** Vina stood firm and said, "If, if you all think it's this important, then I can't go, either. I suppose if they have one human being, they might try again."**_

_** More Talosians arrived on the surface, and Pike held up a hand at Number One.**_

_** "Wait," he ordered.**_

_** "Their methods of storing records is crude and consumed much time," a Talosian transmitted. "Aare you prepared to assimilate it?"**_

_** The Keeper seemed to take in the information in for a moment, and he turned back to the human audience solemnly.**_

_** "We had not believed this possible," he said. "The customs and history of your race show a unique hatred of captivity. Even when it's pleasant and benevolent, you prefer death. This makes you too violent and dangerous a species for our needs."**_

_** The humans looked skeptical, but Vina said, "He means that they can't use you. You're free to go back to the ship."**_

_** Pike wasn't about to let it all go at that, however, and he said, "And that's it. No apologies. You captured one of us, threatened all of us."**_

_** "Your unsuitability has condemned the Talosian race to eventual death," one of them said. "Is this not sufficient?"**_

_** The Keeper explained, "No other specimen has shown your adaptability. You were our last hope."**_

_** This realization made Pike for the first time sympathize with the Talosians, and he seemed to let go of all his anger and outrage, saying, "But wouldn't some form of trade, mutual cooperation-"**_

_** "Your race would learn our power of illusion and destroy itself, too."**_

_** "Captain," Number One said, having made contact with the ship, "we have transporter control now."**_

_** "Let's get back to the ship," Pike said.**_

_** "I can't," Vina said softly when he turned to her. "I can't go with you."**_

_** The screen cut to the transporter room, where the engineering chief told Spock, "Sir, it just came on. We can't shut the power off."**_

_** The intercom signaled and Spock crossed to it.**_

_** "Mr. Spock here."**_

_** "All power has come on, Mr. Spock," the navigator said. "The helm is answering to control."**_

_** First the lieutenant, then Number One were beamed aboard in quick succession.**_

_** "The Captain," Number One said, worried, and the screen cut back to Pike, who was talking to Vina.**_

_** No longer was Vina a beautiful young girl, but instead she was much older, and hideously scarred and deformed. Her eyes were still a brilliant, beautiful blue, but the rest of her was hardly recognizable as human.**_

_** "You see why I can't go with you," she said sadly.**_

_** "This is the female's true appearance," the Keeper told Pike, who looked gob smacked.**_

_** "They found me in the wreckage," she explained, "dying, a lump of flesh. They rebuilt me. Everything works, but they had never seen a human. They had no guide for putting me back together."**_

_** "It was necessary to convince you her desire to stay in an honest one."**_

_** Pike nodded sadly and asked the Keeper, "You'll give her back her illusion of beauty?"**_

_** "And more," the Keeper promised with a smile.**_

_** The screen returned once more to the Transporter Room, where the engineering chief said, "Mr. Spock, the systems is coming on again."**_

_** A moment later, Captain Pike materialized.**_

_** "What's happened to Vina?" the lieutenant asked when she saw that he came alone.**_

_** "Isn't she coming with us?" Number One pressed.**_

_** "No," he said, shaking his head. "No, and I agreed with her reasons."**_

_** They returned to the Bridge, where the crew went about their business.**_

_** "All decks prepare for hyperdrive," Spock said.**_

_** "All decks are ready, sir," Number One confirmed.**_

_** Captain Pike, clearly no longer a man looking to leave his life on board a starship said, "Engage."**_

Vivian sat back, overwhelmed, and Captain Kirk turned to Mendez and said, "Commodore, you don't think that-"

She stopped abruptly, however, and Vivian blinked, shocked, when the Commodore simply vanished into thin air.

Their attention was drawn back to the screen, where the Keeper smiled at them.

"What you now seem to hear, Captain Kirk, are my thought transmissions. The Commodore was never aboard your vessel. His presence there and in the shuttlecraft was an illusion. Mr. Spock had related to us your strength of will. It was the thought of the fiction of a court-martial would divert you from too soon regaining control of your vessel. Captain Pike is welcome to spend the rest of his life with us, unfettered by his physical body. The decision is yours and his."

The Captain weighed her options, but Vivian had a point of contention still bothering her.

"Spock, Captain Kirk might be stubborn, but she's not unreasonable," she said, frowning at him as he looked at her with an unfazed expression. "You could have explained, and if you'd just told me I would have helped you. You know I would have."

His eyes were soft as he said, "Ask you both to face the death penalty too? One of us was enough, Counselor."

In those words, Vivian could hear an apology, one he could give her in front of the others without bringing more questions.

"Yes," Kirk agreed, frowning at the screen.

Sulu's voice came through the intercom saying, "Message from Starbase Eleven, sir. Received images from Talos Four. In view of historic importance of Captain Pike in space exploration, General Order Seven prohibiting contact Talos Four is suspended this occasion. No action contemplated against Spock. Proceed as you think best. Signed, Mendez, J. I., Commodore, Starbase Eleven."

Vivian felt as thought a whole series of knots in her stomach came undone at once, and she turned to Spock smiling. He did not smile back, but she didn't care. For the first time since she'd left Starbase Eleven, she felt her hands coming back into her control, felt the anxiety leave her chest.

He wouldn't die. His career wasn't over.

"Chris," the Captain said, "do you want to go there?" A single flash. "Mr. Spock, would you care to take Captain Pike to the transporter room, see him off?"

"Thank you sir," Spock said, standing, "for both of us." Another single flash.

Vivian could feel the exhaustion of the end of her adrenaline rush hitting her and she said with a tired smile, "Oh, and Mr. Spock, report to my office from there. We need an evaluation. Your behavior is showing worrying signs of emotional-"

"I see no reason to insult me, Counselor," Spock said with a frown. "I believe I've been completely logical about the whole affair."

She smiled as he left the room, and she wondered briefly just how true that belief was.

"Captain Kirk," the Keeper's thought transmission said, and Vivian turned back to the screen. There could be seen youthful, healthy, beautiful Vina and Christopher Pike, walking hand in hand. "Captain Pike has an illusion, but you have reality. May you find your way as pleasant."


	9. The Conscience of the King

_Captain's Log, stardate 2817.6. Starship Enterprise diverted from scheduled course. Purpose, to confirm discovery by Doctor Thomas Leighton of an extraordinary new synthetic food which would totally end the threat of famine on Cygnia Minor, a nearby Earth colony._

"Counselor," Spock said as they walked down the corridor, "I am sure that when we get underway again, everything will return to normal. Did she report where she was headed?"

Vivian shook her head, adjusting the hair that had fallen from her eyes.

"No, Scotty said that she left the Transporter Room, should have been at the Bridge by now. But I have a guess." She let her fingers twitch once and then consciously relaxed them. "She's been out of sorts since she saw that play."

Spock opened the door to the briefing room, and there was the Captain, frowning at a computer screen.

"Mr. Spock," she said, barely glancing at the new arrivals. "You know Doctor Leighton, don't you? Would you say he's given to fantasy?"

With a curious dart of the eyes toward the computer, Spock said, "A good, empirical research scientist. Steady, reputable, occasionally brilliant."

Kirk nodded slowly and said, "With a long memory."

Something about the wistful way she said those words piqued Vivian's curiosity, and she exchanged a look with Spock, who seemed at a loss on how to reply to this statement, which seemed to invite some kind of response.

"Starfleet doesn't record that sort of thing, Captain," Vivian said slowly. "Ship is prepared to leave orbit."

"We'll delay departure for a time," Kirk said, standing abruptly. "I'm beaming back down to the planet."

They nodded and watched her go with her swift, deliberate gait.

"You still have Bridge duty, Counselor?" Spock asked.

"Yes," she muttered. "Yes, do you want me on sensors or communications?"

"With the Captain on the surface, I would prefer communications," he said, leading her to the turbolift. "Her behavior was very distracted."

"I'm sure she has a lot on her mind," Vivian said, although silently agreeing with him. The Captain had seemed not quite herself. "I know the last time I saw a play I could think of nothing else for weeks."

Spock's lips twitched, and if it had been anyone else she would have expected a smile.

"You are fond of theatre, Counselor?"

"Shakespeare, Mr. Spock, is an excellent way to study the human psyche," she said loftily, trying to recall Ophelia's lines from childhood plays. " 'O, what a noble mind is here overthrown! The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's, eye, tongue, sword; the expectancy and rose of the fair state, the glass of fashion and the mould of form, the observed of all observers, quite, quite down!'"

"Hamlet, act three, scene one," Spock said. "I did not know you were interested in literature."

"Mostly, I'm not," she said with a smile. "But theatre is wonderful."

/-/

The night was quiet, and Vivian was growing bored at the comm panel, with only enough personnel on the Bridge as necessary. The only familiar face was Spock, and he sat as typical, on alert in the captain's chair. No conversation, nothing to do. Simply waiting for the Captain to return so they could continue on their scheduled course.

And then a signal came from the surface and Vivian put it through on the speakers. The voice of the Captain said, "Kirk to Enterprise."

"Bridge here, Captain," Spock replied, turning the chair to look at Vivian, who was facing the front of the Bridge already.

"Put me through to Captain Jon Daily of the Astral Queen on orbit station, and put it on scramble."

The request was odd, but Spock nodded and Vivian, and she nodded back, adjusting the signal as required.

"Captain Daily's on, sir," she said, pulling out of the signal once the two ends were connected. She turned back to the center of the Bridge, getting out of her seat and leaving the comm panel on speaker for all incoming transmission. She took out her earpiece and said softly to Spock, "Astral Queen? That's transport, isn't it?"

"Yes," Spock said softly in response. "Civilian transport. Perhaps making some sort of arrangements for Doctor Leighton."

The response was logical, sensible, but Vivian couldn't help but feel that something was not quite right. If that was all it was, why bother putting it on scramble?

"Kirk to Enterprise."

Vivian put her earpiece back and crossed to the comm panel once more.

"Bridge, Captain," she said.

"Transporter Room, ready to beam up."

Vivian made the necessary arrangements, and Spock began preparing the Bridge once more for leaving orbit. The quiet Bridge suddenly became a flurry of activity. When the Captain entered several minutes later, Spock reported, "Ready to resume course, Captain."

"I think we're due for a pickup," Kirk said, smiling a little. Vivian and Spock exchanged confused looks. Could the Astral Queen not manage whatever the Doctor needed?

"What kind?" Spock asked. "Personnel? Cargo?"

"Captain Kirk?" Vivian said, listening to the voice in her ear. "Scotty says someone named Miss Karidian is aboard and requesting permission to see you."

"Tell her to come up to the Bridge, Counselor," Kirk said, ignoring Spock's questions.

Vivian nodded and said, "Scotty, have an escort bring Miss Karidian to the Bridge."

"How did you know this lady was coming aboard?" Spock asked.

Kirk smiled and said, "I'm the Captain."

A beautiful young blonde woman entered and greeted the Captain warmly.

"Captain Kirk, I didn't think we'd be meeting again so soon."

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you I arranged it."

Vivian quirked an eyebrow at Spock, who assumed a similar expression. There was the issue of the Astral Queen, but why?

"No," Miss Karidian responded, "but it's a delightful thought. Captain, I'm afraid we need your help. We've been stranded. It seems that our transportation has cancelled out on us."

"Can't you make other arrangements?"

"Yes, but not in time. You see, our schedule is like a chain. One break and it all collapses."

The woman was very dramatic, obviously one of the actors, but Vivian could sense a small level of deception from the Captain as well. Whatever this was, she really had orchestrated it and was still playing the role.

"It'd be a shame if that happened," Kirk said with a sad smile.

"If ever we needed a Good Samaritan," Miss Karidian said with the air of a damsel in distress.

"Well."

"I appeal to you."

Spock's eyebrows shot up as Lenore flirted rather openly for her way. Vivian's lips twitched in amusement. Vulcan's were brilliantly advanced in many ways, but socially, it seemed that lack of emotion stunted certain matters to almost archaic standards.

"The regulations are very clear about taking passengers," the Captain said with a thin veneer of regret.

"I'll make a bargain with you, Captain."

"What have you got to trade?"

"Special performance for the crew, in exchange for a lift."

Kirk lifted her eyes significantly to meet with Vivian's as she said, "You make it sound very interesting. The crew has been on patrol for a long time. They could use a break in the monotony." She raised a single eyebrow at Vivian.

Whatever the mysterious reasoning, Vivian knew well enough what was expected of her.

"Then you will do it?" Miss Karidian pressed, and Kirk raised her eyebrows at Vivian, who stepped forward.

"Captain," she said, thinking quickly, "you make a good point. I can sign this off in the record as a beneficial restorative measure for the crew. A…shore leave on the ship, if you will." Kirk nodded and smiled.

"Thank you, Captain," the actress said happily. "I'm eternally grateful. I'll get the company ready. This means so much to them."

"Mr. Spock," the Captain ordered, "prepare to leave orbit as soon as the Karidian company is aboard the ship."

The visitor and her escort left the Bridge on the turbolift..

"May I inquire as to our course, Captain?" Spock said.

"Benecia Colony."

Spock's eyebrows rose again and he said, "Benecia Colony is eight light years off our course."

To Vivian's surprise, the Captain said sharply, "If my memory needs refreshing, Mr. Spock, I'll ask you for it. In the meantime, follow my orders."

_Counselor's Log, stardate 2818.9. The Captain's behavior in taking on the Karidian company of actors in strange, and as of yet without explanation, but stranger still is that he has asked me to observe and report my professional opinion on Karidian and his daughter._

"Mr. Spock," the Captain said as she returned, "ETA to the Benecia Colony."

"We'll arrive stardate 2825.3, Captain," Spock said levelly, "approximately fifteen hundred Benecia time."

To Vivian's surprise, Kirk crossed to the sensors, flipping on the computer.

"Library Computer," it announced.

"Data on question submitted to personnel files," Kirk said. Vivian and Spock moved closer.

"Data being received. Kodos file of all survivors. There were nine actual eyewitnesses who can identify Kodos."

The name sounded vaguely familiar to Vivian, but it had no meaning, something she felt she should have known but had forgotten.

"Stop," Kirk said. "Give list."

"Kirk, J., presently Enterprise Captain. Leighton, T. Moulton, E., Riley, K., Earnes, D.-"

"Stop. IS that star service Lieutenant Kevin Riley?"

"Affirmative. Riley, Kevin. Presently assigned U. S. S. Enterprise communications section."

"Stop." She turned. "Mr. Spock."

"Captain," Vivian cut in, "what-"

"Lieutenant Kevin Riley in communications," the Captain said, talking over Vivian, plainly ignoring her. "I wish to have him transferred down to the engineering decks."

"He came up from Engineering, Captain," Spock informed her.

"I'm sending him back."

Vivian and Spock exchanged confused looks.

"Any explanation?" Spock asked respectfully. "He's a fine young officer. He's bound to consider this transfer disciplinary action."

"I don't wish to discuss it, Mr. Spock," Kirk said coolly. "Please follow my orders."

/-/

Spock wished to examine relevant files, things that might give him a clue as to what was bothering Jamara Kirk, but he wanted some measure of support, some confirmation from other officers that he was doing the right thing. If the Enterprise was at risk….

He went to Sickbay, where Doctor McCoy was closing up for the day, and Vivian was finishing some reports on patients. He tried to get them to listen, but even Vivian was so wrapped up in her work that she didn't appear immediately interested.

"Spock," she said, not looking up, "command is a tightrope, and often a lonely one. The best a crew can do is provide a stable net."

He raised an eyebrow and said, "Spare me your philosophic metaphors, Counselor. The Captain is acting strangely. You have seen what I have seen. I am asking if either of you have noticed this behavior and consider it odd."

McCoy, who was uncorking some brandy, said, "Negative. Did you know this is the first time in a week I've had time for a drop of the true? Would you care for a drink, Mr. Spock?"

"My father's race was spared the dubious benefits of alcohol."

"Now I know why they were conquered," McCoy muttered, and Spock did not see the point in correcting his historical inaccurate statement. There were more pressing matters. "What are you worried about, anyway? I find Jamie generally knows what she's doing."

Vivian, who had been smiling at their interaction, looked up, the smile fading from her lips as she began a fresh report.

"She does," she said slowly, "but I'll agree with Spock that something strange is happening. No doubt he recognizes the illogic of bringing the actors on board."

Doctor McCoy seemed to find this amusing, and he said, "Illogical? Did you get a look at that Juliet? That's a pretty exciting creature. Of course, Spock's…personal chemistry would prevent him from seeing that." Again, Spock chose not to correct the Doctor, but for entirely different reasons. He could recognize that Miss Karidian was attractive, in the way that he could recognize that Vivian Buckingham was attractive, he simply maintained his mental faculties in spite of this recognition. McCoy continued, "Did it ever occur to you that she simply might like the girl?"

"It occurred," Spock said, his eyes darting to Vivian, who was again looking down at her reports. "I dismissed it."

"You would," McCoy muttered, pouring a drink.

"Did you know that she suddenly transferred Lieutenant Riley to engineering?" Spock pressed.

Again, McCoy was not moved, saying, "Lots of things go on around here that I don't know, Mr. Spock. Now, she's the Captain. She can transfer whoever she pleases. You can look that up in a hundred volumes of space regulations somewhere. Alright? Come on, both of you, have a drink."

Vivian glanced up and shook her head, a strand of hair falling out of place and into her eyes with the swift motion.

"No, thank you, Bones," she said, tucking the hair back again. "I don't drink."

Spock shook his head as well, and McCoy said to Vivian, "You're welcome. But I will." He poured himself another drink and turned back to Spock. "And please, Mr. Spock, if you won't join me, don't disapprove of me. At least not until you've tried it, huh?"

Spock decided it would not be fruitful to inquire further until he'd done at least a little bit of digging. Even Vivian only seemed mildly perturbed, and so he would search on his own. But he had duties in the meantime.

He returned to the Bridge deep in thought, examining sensor information as soon as he arrived. However, after a few moments of work he frowned and turned on the computer.

"Library computer."

"Full personal dossiers on the following names," he ordered. "Doctor Thomas Leighton, Anton Karidian, Lieutenant Kevin Riley, and Captain Jamara T. Kirk."

"Accomplished, standing by."

"Correlate. Check their past histories. Report any item, any past episodes or experience they all have in common."

"Affirmative."

/-/

Spock, armed with this new information from the ship's computers, left the Bridge in the helmsman's hands and went to track down Vivian and Doctor McCoy, who were leaving Sickbay as he approached, walking to the turbolift.

"Doctor, Counselor," he said, heading them off. "I am afraid I must detain you. New information has come to my attention that I believe you need to consider. A specific disaster is a shared experience that we must discuss."

Doctor McCoy sighed and said, "I appreciate whatever concern you may have for the ship's company, Mr. Spock-"

"I will continue, Doctor," Spock said, cutting across what were sure to be emotional objections. Vivian's lips twitched at the doctor's annoyed expression, but her face was otherwise calm and unexpressive. Spock said, "According to our library banks, it started on the Earth colony of Tarsus Four, when the food supply was attacked by an exotic fungus and largely destroyed. There were over eight thousand colonists and virtually no food. And that was when Governor Kodos seized full power and declared emergency martial law."

"Yes," Vivian said slowly, her eyes flashing with recognition. She glanced over at the wall with a faraway expression. "Yes, I…I thought the name was familiar. I'd heard it years ago, in an Interstellar Historiography course."

"You may not have heard it all," Spock said. "Kodos began to separate the colonists. Some would live, be rationed whatever food was left. The remainder would be immediately put to death. Apparently he had his own theories of eugenics."

"Unfortunately, he wasn't he first," Doctor McCoy said dully.

"Perhaps not. But he was certainly among the most ruthless, to decide arbitrarily who would survive and who would not, using his own personal standards, and then to implement his decision without mercy. Children watching their parents die. Whole families destroyed. Over four thousand people. They died quickly, without pain, but they died. Relief arrived, but too late to prevent the executions. And Kodos? There was never a positive identification of his body."

"What does Karidian have to do with it?" Doctor McCoy demanded.

"His history begins almost to the day where Kodos disappeared."

Vivian narrowed her eyes at the careless mistake of the man named Karidian, or perhaps Kodos.

"Jamie thinks he's Kodos," she said softly.

"She'd better," Spock said. "There were nine eyewitnesses who survived the massacre, who'd actually seen Kodos with their own eyes. Jamara Kirk was one of them. With the exception of Riley and Captain Kirk, every other eyewitness is dead. And my library computer shows that wherever they were, on Earth, on a colony, or aboard a ship, the Karidian Company of players was somewhere near when they died."

Spock watched as Doctor McCoy and Vivian exchanged incredulous, horrified looks.

"It's unbelievable," McCoy began, but the intercom cut him off.

"Doctor McCoy to Sickbay. Medical emergency. Lieutenant Riley is dying."

Without even a moment to exchange glances, the three of them darted back down the corridor, hurrying into Sickbay to find Riley twitching and unconscious, three medical staff around him trying to deal with the situation. Vivian took an instinctive-seeming step away from the situation and Spock watched as McCoy rushed forward, giving orders to his staff and taking charge of the situation. In these moments of crisis, the clarity that McCoy exhibited reminded Spock how such an emotionally instable man could be a Chief Medical Officer on board a Starship.

Vivian's thumbs twitched and she tucked them into her fists.

"Come," Spock said softly, gesturing to Doctor McCoy's office. "We can do nothing but wait."

He sat in Doctor McCoy's chair and watched as Vivian paced the length of the office back and forth, smooth strides, calm face, natural breathing. The only indication of any emotional disturbance within her was the way she balled her fingers into fists behind her back. The fists were not tense, not as Spock had seen them before in moments when she was truly afraid, but she had been bothered by the scene in Sickbay, and he saw no reason to subject her to it further. Her mind needed to be clear as possible to aid Captain Kirk with the issue of Karidian, and she did not possess the Vulcan ability to suppress all emotion in order to achieve logical decisions.

When Sickbay quieted, Spock stood and reentered to find McCoy marking down readings, standing over an unconscious but still-breathing Lieutenant Riley. Vivian followed Spock in, her eyes darkening as she glanced at the readings. In spite of the lack of twitching and chaos, Riley was still dying.

"You've got to pull him through," Spock said firmly.

"I'm not sure I can," McCoy said, not looking at them.

There was no time for the human flaw of self-doubt and underestimation of abilities, however.

"If he dies," Spock said, taking a step forward to get McCoy to look up at him, "the only one who'll be able to identify Kodos is the Captain. And she'll be the next target."

_Counselor's Log, Stardate 2819.1. Ship's officer Riley is growing worse. Doctor McCoy is doing a lab analysis in order to determine cause and antidote. The crew morale has dropped considerably and Mr. Spock, Doctor McCoy, and I fear for the Captain's safety._

Vivian refrained from pacing as she listened to Doctor McCoy making his log, knowing that her footsteps would disrupt the report, but it wasn't easy.

"As of this date," McCoy said, "lab report indicates presence of appreciable amount of tetralubisol, a highly volatile lubricant used aboard ship."

He paused the recording and scratched his cheek, thinking.

"Someone tried to poison him," Spock prompted.

"Tetralubisol is a milky substance," Bones said slowly, not meeting either of their eyes. "Someone could have gotten careless, made a mistake."

"I don't believe that and neither do you," Spock said. "I want the Captain to see that report."

"When I've finished logging it."

"No, Bones," Vivian said softly, shaking her head, feeling the loose strand of hair stick to sweat on her temple. "She needs to see it now."

With surprising lack of argument, Doctor McCoy followed Vivian and Spock to the Captain's quarters, where Vivian watched Spock buzz their arrival.

"Come," they heard Kirk said, and Vivian entered after the two men. Technically, it wasn't necessary for her to be there, but as the Captain had asked for her professional opinion, and as she was the second officer, she did have a right to be there. And Spock seemed to want her involved.

"My report on Lieutenant Riley," Doctor McCoy said, handing the Captain the PADD.

"Will he make it?" she asked, taking the report and only glancing down at it.

"He's got a good chance."

"Can we predict the same for you, Captain?" Spock said levelly. Vivian nibbled a little on the inside of her lip as Captain Kirk looked up at Spock, an eyebrow raised.

"I'm guessing it won't be the same thing twice," Vivian said softly, realizing that Jamie wasn't going to rise to a single jab, but that they needed her to speak. "This is too clever for that."

"All right, you two," Kirk said. "Let's have it."

"Lieutenant Riley was a witness," Spock said, without any further explanation. "So were you."

"Alright."

"Someone tried to kill him."

"Could have been an accident," Bones said stubbornly, but even Vivian wouldn't let his unprofessional emotion get in the way. She argued.

"Doctor, there is a time and a place to be hardheaded." He looked as though he wanted to argue back at her, but Vivian turned to Kirk and said, "Captain, Mr. Spock checked the library computer, the searches we heard you making."

"Aren't you getting a little out of line, both of you?" Captain Kirk snapped. "My personal business-"

"Is our personal business when it might interfere with the smooth operation of this ship," Spock said calmly but firmly.

"You think that happened?"

"I think it could happen."

"I don't like anyone meddling in my private affairs. Not even my second in command."

Vivian felt uncomfortable of the tone of the conversation and said, "Jamie, he's just-"

"I know what he's doing," Kirk snapped, "and I don't like it."

"It's his job, and you know it," Bones said.

But Kirk wouldn't back down. She said, "And you also know that nothing is proven."

Spock quirked an eyebrow and said, "Even in this corner of the galaxy, Captain, two plus two equals four. Almost certainly an attempt will be made to kill you. Why do you invite death?"

"I'm not," she sighed. "I'm interested in justice."

"Are you sure it's justice, Captain?" Vivian asked. "Not vengeance?"

Thankfully, Kirk sighed, "No, I'm not sure. I wish I was. I've done things I've never done before. I've placed my command in jeopardy. From here on I've got to determine whether or not Karidian is Kodos."

"He is," Spock said with such sincerity.

"You sound certain. I wish I could be. Before I accuse a man of that, I've got to be. I saw him once, twenty years ago. Men change. Memory changes. Look at him now, he's an actor. He can change his appearance. No. Logic is not enough. I've got to feel my way, make absolutely sure."

McCoy shook his head and said, "What if you decide he is Kodos? What then? Do you play God, carry his head through the corridors in triumph? That won't bring back the dead, Jamie."

"No," she said softly, "but they may rest easier."

Vivian started slightly at the intercom.

"Sickbay to Doctor McCoy."

Bones crossed the room and flipped on the intercom.

"McCoy here."

"We have the results you ordered."

"On my way."

Bones left, taking the PADD back from the Captain and hurrying out. Vivian nibbled on her lip for a moment, watching the door close again before saying, "I'm inclined to agree with Mr. Spock, Captain. If a jury were looking at this, a good counsel would have more than enough to earn a conviction. Doctor Leighton obviously murdered while the actors were on Planet Q. Now they're here and Riley is poisoned."

The Captain smiled sadly as she paced to the center of the room.

"Doc isn't so sure it was a murder attempt," she argued. "Besides, I have an idea that may prove-"

"Shh," Spock said, raising a hand. "Listen." The two women stood still, ears twitching slightly as they listened to the air. Vivian heard a sickeningly familiar sound. "Do you hear that? A low hum."

"A phaser," Kirk said, her head whipping around the room.

"On overload," Spock agreed.

Almost immediately, Spock and Vivian set to searching the quarters, disturbing cushions, moving plants, shifting books and knick knacks. The Captain crossed to her intercom instead.

"This is the Captain," she said in a clear, calm voice. "There's a phaser on overload in my quarters. If it blows, it'll take out the entire deck. Evacuate all personnel in this quadrant. Double Red Alert." She turned off the intercom and joined the other two in the search, but it was only a moment before she said, "You two get out of here."

Vivian's head jerked up from the shelf she was searching in surprise.

"But Captain, you can't-"

"Go on," Kirk demanded. "Block off this section. Hurry. I'll find it."

Reluctantly, Vivian and Spock left the room, moving out into the corridor where two crew members were passing.

"Evacuate this section," Spock ordered. "Seal it off. Clear C4 and C5."

Spock went one way, Vivian the other. No people were in her section, so sealing it off was a matter of moments, and she arrived just in time to see Kirk rushing out of her quarters with the phaser in hand. Vivian had come level with her as Kirk dropped the phaser in the pressure waste disposal across from her quarters, and Spock came back to them just in time for the blast. The force of it tossed the three of them across the corridor, and Spock flung his arm out, managing to cushion Vivian's impact with the wall. He steadied her and the three of them straightened themselves out again, Vivian tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her hands trembling just slightly.

"Mr. Spock, prepare for a voice analysis. Vivian, I want you with me," Kirk said. "I want your confirmation. It's time we paid someone a visit."

Vivian followed the Captain to the quarters assigned to Karidian and his daughter, and she followed Kirk inside, barging in on the man, reading in the quarters.

"We're overdue for our talk, aren't we?" Kirk said briskly, and the man stood, obviously disappointed at being interrupted.

"I hoped you would have respected my privacy, Captain," he said softly.

"A moment ago, we narrowly averted an explosion which would have destroyed several decks of this ship. Before that, someone tried to poison one of my crewmen."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Karidian said, and if he was acting, Vivian had to say that she was impressed with his acting ability. Either was responsible and was sorry for it, or he had someone else managing his dirty work for him.

"I'm sure you are," Kirk said, not believing him for a moment. "Are you Kodos?" Vivian blinked at this blunt approach, and Karidian seemed unfazed, but said nothing. "I asked you a question."

Karidian tilted his head a little, his hands calm on the binding of his script.

"Do you believe that I am?"

"I certainly do," Vivian said coolly.

"Then I am Kodos," he said, "if it pleases you to believe so. I am an actor. I play many parts."

Slippery, but not necessarily guilty. Vivian was annoyed that the man was playing games, whether or not he was Kodos.

"You're an actor now," Kirk pressed. "What were you twenty years ago?"

He frowned slightly and said, "Younger, Captain. Much younger."

"So was I. But I remember. Let's see if you do." Jamie produced a slip of paper and handed it to Karidian, who took it without seeing. "Read this into that communicator on the wall. It will be recorded and compared to a piece of Kodos's voice film we have in our files. This test is virtually infallible. It will tell us whether you're Karidian, or Kodos the Excecutioner." Vivian watched Kirk's unshaking hand as she turned on the communicator, speaking into it, "Ready for voice test." She backed away, raising her eyebrows at Karidian and motioning for him to cross to the communicator, which he did. "Disguising your voice will make no difference."

Karidian lifted the paper, reading as ordered, "The revolution is successful, but survival depends on drastic measures. Your continued existence represents a threat to the well-being of society." To Vivian's horror, he lowered the paper, no longer reading, but still saying the words into the communicator. "Your lives mean slow death to the more valued members of the colony. Therefore I have no alternative but to sentence you to death. Your execution is ordered. Signed, Kodos, governor of Tarsus Four."

There was a sickening pause, a long moment of silence between the three of them before Vivian stepped forward and switched off the communicator.

Kirk said, "I remembered the words. I wrote them down. You said them like you knew them. You hardly glanced at the paper."

"I learn my parts very quickly," Karidian said smoothly.

"Are you sure?" Kirk demanded. "Are you sure you didn't act this role out in front of a captive audience whom you blasted out of existence without mercy?"

"I find your use of the word mercy strangely inappropriate, Captain," Karidian said, dropping the acting pretense for a moment and engaging the women on their level. "Here you stand, the perfect symbol of our technical society. Mechanized, electronicized, and not very human. You've done away with humanity, the striving of a man to achieve greatness through his own resources."

"We've armed men with tools," Kirk said, shaking her head. "The striving for greatness continues. But Kodos-"

"Kodos," Karidian cut in, "whoever he was-"

"Is," Vivian snapped.

"Or is," Karidian said with a nod to Vivian that surprised her. "Kodos made a decision of life and death. Some had to die that others might live. You're a woman of decision, Captain. You ought to understand that."

"All I understand," Captain Kirk said coldly, "is that four thousand people were needlessly butchered."

"In order to save four thousand others. And if the supply ship hadn't come earlier than expected, this Kodos of yours might have gone down in history as a great hero."

Vivian had no doubts whatsoever, with him pretending he did not know Kodos and yet calling up details that hadn't been discussed. It was a classic case of someone speaking in imagined hypotheticals to discuss their own actions that they did not wish to be held accountable for, but which they still wished to rationalize. There was an awareness in this tactic, however, that wasn't quite consistent with madness, and so it made Vivian a bit uncomfortable.

"But he didn't," Captain Kirk maintained firmly. "And history has made its judgment."

"If you're so sure that I'm Kodos, why not kill me now?" Karidian said. "Let bloody vengeance take its final course! And see what difference it makes to this universe of yours."

A small curl of a bitter smile turned at Jamie Kirk's lips and she said, "Those beautiful words, well acted, change nothing."

"I suppose not," Karidian agreed. "They're merely tools, like this ship of yours."

Kirk shook her head, not willing to be dragged off course. She said, "There are no previous records of Anton Karidian prior to twenty years ago."

"Blood thins," Karidian said softly. "The body fails. One is finally grateful for a failing memory. I no longer treasure life, not even my own." Vivian frowned. "I am tired! And the past is a blank. Did you get everything you wanted, Captain Kirk?"

Vivian shifted onto the balls of her feet and back again.

"If I had gotten everything I wanted, you might not walk out of this room alive."

"Captain Kirk," a feminine voice said suddenly from the corner of the room, and they looked over to see Lenore Karidian entering, frowning faintly. Vivian swallowed as she crossed to her father. "You'd better rest now," she said. The three women watched the man leaving the room and Vivian blinked as Lenore snapped back around to the Captain as soon as her father had left the room. Lenore said, "There's a stain of cruelty on your shining armor, Captain. You could have spared him, and me. You talked of using tools. I was a tool, wasn't I? A tool to use against my father."

Vivian noted that the Captain looked slightly uncomfortable, but Lenore was not as fazed as one might have thought.

"In the beginning, perhaps," Kirk said frankly. "But later, I wanted it to be more than that."

"Later," Lenore snarled derisively. "Everything's always later. Later. Latest. Too late. Too late, Captain. You're like your ship, powerful and not human. There is no mercy in you."

Vivian stepped forward, hoping to spare the Captain some more difficult moments by saying in her most reasonable work voice, "If your father is Kodos, Miss Karidian, he has received more mercy than he is worthy of. And if not, then there is no harm done and you will leave the Enterprise at Benecia Colony together."

"Who are you," Lenore hissed, "either of you, to say what harm was done?"

"Who do we have to be?" Kirk said softly.

_Medical Log, supplemental. Lieutenant Riley's sufficiently recovered to be discharged, but the Captain's ordered him restricted to Sickbay to prevent contact with the passenger who calls himself Karidian and who's suspected of being Kodos the Executioner and of murdering the Lieutenant's family._

Spock handed Vivan a PADD as she sat down next to him in the briefing room. She picked it up and frowned to find it blank.

"For your report on mental state," he said. "I am still correlating the results and then we can take both to the Captain."

"I can't make a complete report, Spock," she said, setting the PADD down on the table. "I didn't have any equipment. But what observations I could make I already gave the Captain."

"Those are?"

Vivian hid her hands under the table as she clasped them together. Spock already knew she was flustered by the course of events. She didn't need to remind him at such a crucial stage.

"Well, if he's an actor he's a good one," she said. "Memory could account for the way he stopped reading halfway through the paper, of course. But to take on a character so completely that he justifies the atrocities of that character without any prompting by us, that suggests that he is Kodos." She sighed while the computer continued to correlate.

"There's something more?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

Vivian shook her head and said, "I don't really know. It's just that I think he has remorse. It's something that's nearly impossible to measure even with equipment, but the things he said to us about a failing memory…. I suppose even if he feels justified in what he did, he can regret it."

"Although I have no experience with feelings of remorse and regret," Spock said slowly, "From what I understand, this is possible."

"With emotions, Mr. Spock," Vivian said with her mouth turning wryly in spite of herself, "nearly anything is possible."

"Correlation complete," the computer announced, and Spock ordered a printout of the two voice charts.

Vivian watched him carefully as his eyes scanned the two charts. She glanced down at them as well for a moment, but without being able to look at them carefully she couldn't say more than that they were very similar.

"We must see the Captain," he said, stacking the two charts. "Immediately."

_Captain's Log, stardate 2819.8. Suspect under surveillance. Strategic areas under double guard. Performance of the Karidian players taking place as scheduled._

Spock laid out the two charts on the table in front of Vivian and Kirk and Vivian leaned forward to look at them more closely, frowning. Very close, but still….

"I believe we have a match, Captain," Spock said confidently.

"Not an exact match," Vivian said darkly. "Life and death, Mr. Spock, as a matter of a single decision." He frowned at her. "And when we give a machine that power of decision, we misuse our tools and we are no better than Kodos."

Spock considered her for a moment and was just opening his mouth to reply when the intercom brought in McCoy's voice, saying, "Captain Kirk, McCoy here."

"Yes, Doctor," she responded.

"Riley's gone." Vivian and Spock both turned sharply to face the Captain. "I was recording my log about Karidian and Kodos. If he overheard-"

"You've made your point, Doctor," Captain Kirk said, flipping off the intercom sharply, looking very flustered.

"Captain?" another voice said on the intercom. "Security, H deck. The weapon's locker has been broken into. One phaser is missing."

Vivian tucked a bit of hair behind her ear with a trembling hand while the Captain made an announcement.

"This is the Captain. Security two alert. Find and restrain Lieutenant Kevin Riley. He's armed and possibly headed toward the ship's theatre."

She looked up at Vivian and said, "Counselor, I may need your expertise here. Come with me."

The two women left Spock with no orders, hurrying to the ship's theatre as quickly as they could get there. They traveled in silence. When they arrived backstage, they could hear the voice of the man playing the role of Hamlet.

"Wither wilt thou lead me? Speak, I'll go no further."

"Mark me," Karidian's familiar voice declared.

"I will."

Vivian and Kirk crept across the backstage carefully, not wanting to disrupt the performance and upset people. Or perhaps more importantly, cause Riley to act without thinking first because of desperation.

"My hour is almost come," Karidian said, "when I to sulphurous and tormenting fires must render up myself."

"Speak. I am bound to hear."

"So art thou to revenge when thou shalt hear. I am thy father's spirit, doomed for a certain term to walk the night…."

Vivian lost track of the lines as she spotted Riley with the phaser, looking as though he were steeling himself for the kill. She moved forward, and the Captain, noticing her actions, followed.

"Riley," she whispered, "I'm ordering you back to Sickbay."

"He murdered my father," Riley hissed, "and my mother."

"You could be wrong," Kirk warned. "Don't throw your life away on a mistake."

"I'm not wrong."

"But that I am forbid to tell the secrets of my prison house…." Karidian's voice was strong over the sound of their backstage whisperings and Riley shook his head, despairing.

"I know that voice, that face, I know it," he said urgently. "I saw it. He murdered them."

"Thy soul, freeze thy young blood."

"It's an order," Captain Kirk whispered firmly. "Give me the weapon." Riley made no moves, but let the Captain take the phaser without a fight. "Now get back to Sickbay."

Reluctantly, but fortunately, Riley did leave, just as the applause for the end of the play roared up. Time was running short. The Captain would have to make a decision of what to do about Karidian, before someone else made it for him.

The man in question came backstage, and Vivian and Kirk lingered out of sight as Lenore came up to her father, smiling.

"It's going beautifully," she said happily. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"There was a voice out of the past haunting me," Karidian said darkly, "torturing me. There was another part I once played long ago. I never told you about it. Now that same curtain rises again. The time has come."

Vivian closed her eyes. He was Kodos. Of course he was Kodos, but now they had the admission from his own mouth, and whatever action they decided would be fully justified. She hadn't realized what a relief it would be until she heard those words.

"No, Father," Lenore said, with surprising happiness in her voice. "The time will never come. Tonight, after my performance, the last two who can harm you will be gone."

Vivian's eyes flew open again and she could feel her heart pounding.

"What are you saying?"

"There were nine," Lenore said, still smiling, still pleased. "Now there are only two, and they will be gone as soon as I – Don't look at me like that."

Indeed, her father was horrified, dismayed, even sickened, which was exactly what Vivian felt at this strange turn of events.

"What have you done?" he demanded.

"What had to be done," Lenore said simply. "They had to be silenced."

"All of them? All seven? More blood on my hands?"

"No, Father, not anymore. I'm strong, Father. It's nothing."

The voice of a stagehand announced, "Second act, three minutes."

"We'll be ready," Lenore replied. She turned to her father again, a truly insane gleam in her eyes. "Don't you see? All the ghosts are dead. I've buried them. There's no more blood on your hands."

Karidian took no comfort in her ravings, however, and he shook his head, stepping back slightly.

"Oh, my child, my child," he said despairingly. "You've left me nothing! You were the only thing in my life untouched by what I'd done."

"But you're safe now, Father," Lenore said, not understanding. Vivian thought perhaps the girl was past the point of being able to understand. "I've saved you. Now, no one can touch you."

Vivian came forward, and Kirk followed her slowly. Vivian didn't know why she did it. Karidian was in no danger, but she thought perhaps, somewhere in the back of her mind, that she could say something to help this poor woman. But she knew that words would never be enough.

"Not even Captain Kirk," Lenore said, smiling as they approached. "See Caesar come? She's awed by your greatness, your shining brightness. Bright as a blade before it is stained with blood."

"Bright as a blade," Kirk echoed sadly. "Come with us, both of you."

"Of course," Lenore said, untroubled. "After the play."

"The play is over. It's been over for twenty years."

Karidian seemed to understand, saying sadly, mostly to Vivian, "I was a soldier in a cause. There were things to be done, terrible things."

"Stop it, Father!" Lenore said, perturbed. "You have nothing to justify."

"Murder, flight, suicide, madness," he turned to his daughter sadly. "I never wanted the blood on my hands ever to stain you."

"I did it for you. I saved you."

"You murdered seven innocent men," Vivian said coldly. She had meant to use her gentle voice, her voice for patients, but instead her Bridge voice came out, and Lenore turned on her, viciously.

"They weren't innocent! They were dangerous! I would have killed a world to save him!"

The stagehand called again saying, "Curtain going up, one minute."

Captain Kirk took hold of Karidian's arm, and Karidian did not fight.

"The play, Captain," Lenore said, most insistently. "He must go on. This is the great Karidian."

"Guard," Kirk called.

The guard approached and Lenore went absolutely mad. She shrieked, "You cannot deny him his last performance!"

She grabbed the security guard's phaser, running onto the stage, facing them still.

"Lenore, don't!" Karidian cried.

"You'll never get off the ship," Kirk warned.

"It will become a floating tomb," she said loftily, "drifting through space with the soul of the great Karidian giving performances at every star he touches." Captain Kirk made to approach her, but she pointed the phaser at the Captain. "I know how to use this, Captain."

"No," Karidian said.

"Caesar, beware the ides of March," she said.

"No, child! Don't!"

Vivian watched in horror as Karidian rushed between Lenore and Kirk as she pulled the trigger of the phaser. Lenore's scream filled the air hauntingly as her father's body crumpled. Kirk rushed forward to take the phaser and Vivian held up a hand to stop the security guard from approaching Lenore, who had hurried to her father's body and kneeled over it.

"Father," she cried. "Father! O, proud death!" She was weeping. "What feast is toward in thine eternal cell, that thou, such a prince at a shot so bloodily has struck? The curtain, the curtain rises. It rises. There's no time to sleep. The play. The play. The play's the thing, wherein we'll catch the conscience of the King."

/-/

Vivian followed Doctor McCoy onto the Bridge, handing him back the PADD she'd been reviewing in the turbolift. She'd spent nearly every moment in Sickbay since Karidian's – Kodos's – death, and she felt almost relieved to be serving a shift on the Bridge. She settled into the communication seat, nodding to Spock, who looked up at her as she entered.

Doctor McCoy stepped up to the Captain's chair and frowned.

"Medical supplement to Counselor's report," he said, handing over the PADD. "She'll receive the best of care, Jamie. She remembers nothing. She even thinks her father's still alive, giving performances before cheering crowds. You really cared for her, didn't you?"

Vivian and Spock exchanged glances and he said, "Ready to leave Benecia orbit, Captain."

"Standby, Mr. Leslie," Kirk said, ignoring McCoy's question. "All channels cleared, Vivian?"

"Cleared, Captain," she said after flipping two switches.

"Whenever you're ready, Mr. Leslie."

"Leaving orbit, sir," Leslie said.

McCoy raised an eyebrow and said, "You're not going to answer my question, are you?"

"Ahead," Kirk said, "warp factor one, Mr. Leslie."

McCoy looked around at Vivian, who gave him a sad smile, and then turned to the Captain again, taking the report back.

"That's an answer," he said, before walking back off the Bridge. Vivian tried not to watch, but she couldn't help but notice the faraway look in the Captain's eyes as she gazed at the viewscreen.


End file.
